Unrequited and Unconditional
by Teh Pocky Ninja
Summary: Sakura finally gets Sasuke to love her back using a very unusual tactic, but now it seems like everyone is bent on tearing them apart! Can they overcome Sasuke's curse mark, a murderous Ino, a lovestruck Itachi and even death? T for blood and deaths.
1. What Are You Thinking?

**---PART ONE--- **

**

* * *

****Chapter One: What Are You Thinking?**

* * *

The day the summer festival was held couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was shining overhead in a cloudless sky, the mood was upbeat, and plenty of travelers had shown up for the festivities. The winding streets were already filled with people, and it wasn't even noon yet. Shouts of items for sale and calls of friends to each other filled the air, mixing with the smell of many different foods and giggles of children at play.

Amongst the throngs of people dressed in brightly-colored summer robes stood a small group of four, consisting of three children and their supervising adult. At first glance, one would assume the kids were on holiday like everyone else, but a more thorough examination would reveal the metal headbands wrapped around each of their heads, signifying them as shinobi warriors. However, even ninja like vacations…

"Hey, look!, you guys!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing to some far-off booth. "Goldfish catchers! And water balloons!"

"Hmph," muttered Sasuke, obviously wanting to be somewhere else.

"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun, it's not _that_ lame…" Sakura said half-heartedly, mentally patronizing the boy for his moodiness but lacking the courage to say it to his face. She only squeaked as he answered with a half-lidded expression that said, _Are you kidding me?_

"All right, kids, this IS a festival, so you can all relax, play games, or whatever," interrupted Kakashi from behind the three of them, half his face covered by the book he was always reading. "But be back at the inn in time. I don't want to have to come find you."

"Cool! I'm so out of here!" proclaimed Naruto with a wide grin, before taking off into the crowd and disappearing from sight almost instantly. Sakura fidgeted hesitantly, then turned to ask Sasuke to accompany her, but he and Kakashi had vanished silently into the throngs of people in all the roads of this town. She sighed, and started slowly walking around the festival grounds, devoid of her teammate's companionship.

Brightly colored storefronts and temporary booths lined the streets for all the tourists who came this time of year. It seemed one could buy just about anything imaginable from the right combination of stalls. Some sold food, some exotic jewelry, and many other things besides. But none caught Sakura's eye, as her mind was already stuck to her crush.

_Come on, Sakura, _she thought to herself. _It's a_ festival, _you should be happy... But there's nothing here for people who want somewhere quiet to do some thinking...I wish Sasuke-kun hadn't left…_

She stopped walking along one of the less-crowded sidewalks for a moment, blinking in confusion before retracing her last few steps.

_I thought I saw…Yes, there it is!_

Wedged between a bookstore and a restaurant was a small, dark green building she was certain hadn't been there before. The mossy-green stones of the walls were covered in ivy, and the peeling paint on the sign in one dusty window read "Odd Brews And The Like."

_Weird name for a store… _she thought. _Wonder what it sells besides…"brews?"_ Curiosity overpowering her, she glanced behind her cautiously, before reaching out to push open the creaky door.

A small, tinny sound came from the wired bell above the door frame. Inside, the place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Dust was all over the place, along with herbal and a definite smell of cats hanging in the air. There were shelves everywhere, like a massive library, though they didn't carry scrolls or books. The light spilling in from the doorway showed millions of tiny bottles, each a different shape and filled with a colored liquid sitting silently in neat rows on the dusty shelves.

She let the door swing shut behind her as the dim glow of a single bare ceiling bulb clicked on, though no-one seemed to have flipped any switch. The silence remained, only interrupted now and then with the sound of wind blowing somewhere in the back of the store.

Moving through the rows of shelves towards the back of the store, which seemed a lot bigger on the inside than the outside, Sakura tried reading some of the dust-covered labels taped below each of the bottles. All were written in archaic-looking handwriting, but legible enough.

"'Plant Fertilizer'…. 'Hair Restoration'… 'Coughing Sickness Cure'…"

_What_ is _this place? A pharmacy mixed with a cosmetics store? There's so many of these bottle things…Are they all for different problems?_

She blinked, realizing the front entrance had been left far behind, and she now stood before a small counter against the back wall, the area the bare, overhead bulb lit up most. Stacks of dusty books covered most available surface, with a door behind the piles leading somewhere unknown.

"Hi there, can I help you?"

She jumped about six inches off the floor in response to the high-pitched voice coming from behind a heap of books on one end of the old counter. These were promptly swept out of the way by what turned out to be a tiny girl in a pink cleaning apron.

"Oh, goody! We haven't had a customer in ages!" she cooed, clearing away books, bottles, and other debris from the counter and heaving an ancient-looking cash register into the surface in their place. She couldn't have been more than four feet tall, with grass-green hair in braids and a playful cuteness that meant she might be around eight or nine years old.

"Excuse me, miss, I was just looking…" stammered Sakura, still recovering from the girl's sudden appearance. "I mean, there's so much stuff here to see…"

"This is my gramma's shop, and it's the best," said the girl with sparkling eyes. "We've got every kind of potion here, all homemade and guaranteed to work. I'm learning to make them myself, but I'm not so good yet…"

"Potions…?" asked Sakura with a confused look. _Potions are only in fairy tales…aren't they?_

"Yup, every kind. Oh, and my name's Nya, like the cat noise." Nya giggled and said her name a few times more, seemingly liking the sound of it. "We have a real cat, but he's mean. You wouldn't like him, Miss."

"You said 'every kind' of potion…what does that mean?" asked Sakura hesitantly.

"You know, silly. Stuff to fix people when they get sick, stuff to make things grow, some poisons, love brews-"

Sakura only half-listened, her mind frozen after "love brews."

_I've read about love potions in stories…but they don't exist…they can't…It's impossible…isn't it?_

"If you need any help finding anything, I'll help," said Nya with her giggling voice.

"You…you said you had 'love brews'…could you…um…show them to me maybe?" asked Sakura, with obvious embarrassment. _What am I doing? _she thought. _This kid's a scam artist. Love potions don't exist…I feel so dumb…_

But Nya had already skipped through the piles of junk on the floor and was motioning for her to follow before vanishing behind a shelf of bottles.

_Might as well humor the little girl, _Sakura thought grimly as she navigated her way behind Nya. Before long, the girl stopped in front of one row of shelves seemingly indistinguishable from the rest, but obviously different to her.

"Here's all of them. The ones at this end are all for wishy-washies. They're not very strong or long-lasting. Here's one that only lasted an hour…"

Sakura followed her down the row, deciphering each label as Nya pointed to it. Some had odd names, like "Haughty Wife," "Full Moon," or "Flower Petal." The supposed weaker mixes were a bright, opaque shade of magenta, but as they increased in potency, they gradually became clearer.

"And _this,_" Nya announced with a flourishing gesture, "is the bestest one we got here. It never wears off and works the strongest on anyone. My gramma made it especially for the hardest love cases there are."

They had reached the bottom shelf of the final row. Bending over in the dim light, Sakura examined the final vial interestedly. The bottle was the size of an eraser, with frosted glass in the shape of a small flower bud. The liquid inside was a translucent, rose-color that glittered softly once brought to light. Squinting, she slowly made out the tiny, handwritten script of the label.

"_Entwinement," _she read aloud.

Nya nodded enthusiastically. "Bestest ever."

Sakura's Inner Self was having a massive conflict with her common sense over the little container. _What if it really works? You're crazy! This kid obviously wants your money and nothing else. But she seems pretty honest… That's what they all seem like!_

"You probably don't believe what I'm saying," Nya murmured sadly, looking away.

"Oh, no, sorry, it's just…" Sakura stammered. _How can she read my mind?_

"But I promise, super-duper-cross-my-heart-promise it really works," Nya proclaimed. "I've seen the stuff my gramma makes, and it always works."

_Oh…that sad little face…_

"Um, if you don't mind I'd like to…um…maybe buy some of that?" Sakura asked, giving an uneasy smile.

Nya's eyes instantly lit up like shining stars. "YAY!" she squealed happily. "It's been so long since we sold something, Gramma will be so happy!"

_What am I doing?_ thought Sakura as the girl scampered off. _Maybe the kid just needs money, like those people in the Land of Waves…So it won't be so bad to buy some junk off her…_

Nya scurried behind the dusty counter once again, and rummaged through hidden drawers behind the tabletop before producing a bottle identical to the one on the shelf, the pale pink liquid inside sloshing as she spoke.

"You have to listen to me for this part," said Nya in a serious tone. "My gramma always told the people who bought stuff here how to work their potions. This one goes like this, see," she explained, making elaborate hand movements to illustrate her words. "This'n works by putting a drop of it on your lips," she said, touching her face, "and then you go find your person and give him a big wet one, right in the mouth," she giggled girlishly.

"You mean I have to…kiss him?" asked Sakura, blushing and taken aback.

"Uh-huh! And then he goes to sleep for a bit."

"Wait…what?"

"And you can't go nowhere, 'cause he falls in love with the first thing he sees when he wakes up, and it better be you 'cause we don't give refunds," recited Nya with obvious amusement.

_This is crazy, _muttered Inner Sakura. _It would never, ever, in a million years work. Never ever, ever! …Oh, what the heck. She needs the cash. Just do it._

"How much is it?"

"Special sale today, Miss. Only six thousand yen! 'Cause you're the first person in so long to buy something."

_Wow, that's cheap for something so apparently important… _thought Sakura as she handed over the money in wrinkled paper bills.

"Is he handsome?"

"Um, excuse me?" asked Sakura, caught off-guard by the question and blushing again.

"The guy you're getting this for. Is he handsome?" inquired Nya with a devilish grin.

"Um, yeah…kind of…" Sakura responded, looking away in embarrassment.

Nya giggled, and called "Bye, bye, come again soon!" as Sakura waved back and left the strange little store, allowing the rickety door to swing shut behind her.

Had she glanced over her shoulder once more, she might've seen that the shop had vanished from sight in an instant.

* * *

"So, did you all find something to do?" asked Kakashi while the team, thoroughly exhausted from their day at the festival, walked back to their hotel. The setting sun lit up the sky overhead with orange and pink, turning the clouds purple as the ninjas' elongated shadows stretched out in front of them.

"Yeah, I played pachinko for the first time ever!" announced Naruto. "Well, not really, 'cuz I had to get some guy to do it for me…"

"You lost every time," remarked Sasuke, the first he'd spoken since they'd reunited.

"But I had fun doing it! I bet you sat in a corner all day and did _nothing_."

Sakura half-listened to the two of them bicker, imagining what they'd say to her if she reported her day's activities.

_Hey Sakura, what did you do at the festival?_

_Oh, not much, I just got a magical potion from a little kid running a scam-artist life in an abandoned shop._

_And you fell for it? Wow, and I thought you were the smart one..._

"So, how did you spend your day, Sakura?" asked Naruto, obviously through with arguing over matters of underage gambling.

"Oh," she blurted, caught off-guard. "You know…window-shopping, stuff like that…I didn't buy much."

"That's weird. Usually you drag Emo Boy all over the place, spending your parent's cash like crazy…" Naruto stated, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"I told you to stop calling me that," muttered the Uchiha.

"Kids, just this once, how about we get to the hotel without a philosophical dispute," sighed Kakashi, already used to this happening most of the time.

"Well, what did _you _do at the festival, sensei?" accused Naruto, jabbing a finger at his teacher.

"Me? Oh, you know…enjoying life."

"That's not an answer, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well, it's the only one you're getting. Look, there's our hotel. And no fighting over the bathroom once we get there!"

* * *

To anyone who liked the first version enough to reread even now: Yes, I did rewrite quite a bit of this. After countless rereadings on my part, I decided it'd be tons better written in my current style (and here's hoping I've improved some...) This might also be done for some other chapters I deem unsatisfactory, so don't freak if you find words that weren't there before.


	2. Strategy

**Chapter Two: Strategy **

* * *

Sakura sat on her hotel bed a few hours later, turning over the tiny bottle from Nya in her hands and listening to the sounds of her teammates arguing over the only bathroom in the next room. Why they couldn't both occupy it at the same time, one could only guess.

The room's golden lamplight reflected off of the frosty glass in her hands, casting a wave of tiny refracted sparkles onto the skin of her palm as she thought to herself.

_What if this stuff actually works?_ her Inner murmured excitedly. _This could be the biggest chance of a lifetime to get Sasuke-kun to like me! I'll finally have something no other girls have…_

_And maybe that little kid just sold you some soda in a perfume bottle, _retorted her common sense. _Odds are ninety-nine to one you got robbed._

_But…Nya didn't seem so dishonest…_

More and more objective thoughts crowded her mind, finally forgotten once the other two returned from their bathroom fight, with Naruto's head soaking wet and a smug smirk on Sasuke's face.

"That was a dirty trick," complained the blond, reaching for a nearby towel. "Kakashi-sensei, isn't it cheating to use the shower head on your opponent?"

"Not if you're too slow to get out of the way," mumbled Kakashi from the bed by the window. Sakura noticed he hadn't removed his mask the entire trip, which was kind of gross if he didn't change it… Meanwhile, Naruto quickly swung his way up to the top of the only bunk in the spacious room, while Sasuke took the lower one and read a few more chapters of a small novel he'd brought on the mission. Approximately thirty minutes later, the overhead light clicked off, Sakura stowed the tiny bottle back in her bag, and the sounds of Kakashi's snoring echoed through the hotel hallways.

* * *

_Sasuke's lips pressed against her own, his strong arms pulling her closer into his embrace, until she could feel his every breath, every heartbeat. A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, but none could overcome the euphoric joy she felt at finally being here, now, when everything was perfect…_

"_Sasuke-kun…" she sighed happily, snuggling closer to him and burying her face in the warm fabric of his shirt. Being held by him was ecstasy, knowing he cared for her and wanted her with him. And in this perfect world, they were all alone together for as long as they pleased._

"_Sakura…"_

_He said her name without the affectionate suffix of "chan," but she could care less. The tone he used was like nothing she'd ever heard from him. Rather than cold and caustic, his voice was now gentle, as gentle as the hands he used to tenderly stroke her back as they wound around her waist and hugged her close, so close she could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart against her cheek…_

Sakura felt something like a finger poke her in the back of the head, and Naruto's high-pitched voice brought her crashing back to earth from the paradise of Dreamland.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, you'd better get up before Kakashi-sensei gets out of the bathroom, or he'll yell at you again. And don't take forever to do your hair, 'k?"

Once the sound of receding footsteps told her he was gone, she lifted her head and groggily cracked open one eye. The bleached walls and plastic furniture of the hotel room greeted her blurry vision. She momentarily buried her head back into her pillow, thinking sluggish thoughts.

_Just a dream,_ she sighed inwardly. Even so, it seemed so realistic she got goosebumps thinking about it. This was nothing like other dreams she'd had about Sasuke. Most of the other ones ended up being interrupted by a screeching vision of Ino, and then her mother would wake her up, saying she'd be late for her missions. This one hadn't been anything like that.

And right away, Kakashi stuck his head into the room from behind the door.

"If you don't get up now, Sakura, all the soap will be gone again," he warned before disappearing to break up the inevitable fight between the other two over the limited toiletries they had left.

_He's right,_ Sakura told herself, dragging her lethargic body out of bed. _I can't let some dream hold me back. Even if it was…perfect…_

* * *

The rest of the day was spent on the journey back to Konoha. The festival was just a stop they'd made after an outside-the-village mission, meaning they were already behind and had to make it up. As usual, Naruto scampered around the road they followed, exploring every inch of terrain before catching up with the others, like an eager little kid. Sakura laughed inwardly, thinking of a mini puppy-Naruto on a leash, barking at everything that moved.

She then stole a glance sideways at Sasuke, who only stared into space as if lost in thought. Her previous night's dream came to mind, and she wondered guiltily what it would be like if it would ever come true…

He immediately seemed to sense her staring at him. His dark eyes met hers, and she averted her gaze to her feet, blushing.

_What if that love potion could make that dream a reality?_

She shivered delightedly at the thought. _What if it really happened? Can dreams really predict the future? What if-_

"Hey, Sakura-chan, maybe you should drink some water," said Naruto from up a tree a few feet ahead. "Your face is all red."

Not wanting to admit her thoughts, she mumbled a "fine," and emptied a quarter of her travel water bottle. _It's a thought, _she mused. _But…what if it was a scam after all? What if I really did end up kissing Sasuke, but he doesn't like me? What if he does? No, I can't think like that. Think positive, Sakura. The absolute worst is…he'd never speak to me again…aw, man…_

This train of thought went on for several hours, filled with "what ifs," "maybes," and "I hopes." The setting sun had already turned the sky bright, warm colors by the time they reached the gates of Konoha. The sentinels on guard waved to them, nothing more as they passed though.

"Ok all; it's been a long day of traveling. Go home and prepare for tomorrow. Dismissed," announced Kakashi before disappearing.

"Bye, Sakura-chan!" Naruto happily called as he dashed off toward his address.

"Uh-huh... Bye, Sasuke-kun!" she squeaked just as eagerly.

"Hn."

_Oh, don't be like that, my dear Sasuke-kun,_ thought Sakura with an evil little smile. _By the end of tomorrow you'll be speaking to me a bit differently._

_I'm going through with this after all._

* * *

Seven a.m. Thirty minutes until Kakashi told them to show up at the training fields, and Sakura was having an internal debate as intense as a life-or-death situation. Despite yesterday's resolve, her willpower was wavering as she stood before her bathroom mirror with the supposed love potion in one hand.

_Come on, you said you'd do it, so DO it,_ pushed her Inner self.

"Ok…here goes nothing…" she mumbled nervously, unscrewing the twisty cap of the bottle.

_Nya's instructions were…use it like lip gloss when kissing someone…and they'll fall in love with you forever…_

"Sakura! Get going, you'll be late!" shouted her mom from downstairs, causing her to flinch.

_Ha,_ she thought after applying the potion with a single fingertip. _I could show up two hours late and Kakashi-sensei would still be later._

Of course, Kakashi wasn't there when the three youngsters arrived at the training fields. Heaven forbid he might make it on time for once. Sasuke stood, looking very bored while leaning against a tree. Somewhere overhead, the rustle of leaves and a flash of orange gave away Naruto's hiding spot.

"Oh…good morning, Sasuke-kun…Naruto, what are you doing up there?" Sakura demanded, raising a disdaining eyebrow.

"Squirrel stole my ten-yen coin. I want it back," he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're going to risk a squirrel attack over THAT much?" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's something to do while we wait for the only teacher who comes up with pathetic excuses for being late," he replied, and disappeared back into a cluster of branches.

"What an idiot. He'll probably get bitten and land on his head," murmured Sasuke, his gaze never leaving the dirt at his feet.

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Sakura, giving him an ignored smile.

_Time to formulate a plan of action,_ she thought eagerly to herself. _Should I pretend to trip, or do I have to… knock him out? I don't think I could do that…and DEFINITELY not in front of Naruto…Oh, what to do, what to doooo…_

"Hey, kiddos," appeared Kakashi from out of nowhere, making them all flinch at his sudden arrival. "Sorry I'm late, but there was the most fascinating sign in a store, you see…"

"Save it, Kakashi-sensei!" they cut him off, as was the tradition.

"Where's our hyperactive knucklehead?" asked the Jounin, his visible eye scanning back and forth for the missing blond.

"Up a tree, fighting a squirrel for a ten-yen coin."

As if on cue, Naruto came crashing down from a tree branch, covered in leaves and clenching a coin between his teeth.

"Hah! Ah sowed 'at shtupid shquirrel who'sh bosh!" he laughed, before spitting the coin into his palm and gagging.

"You are something else, you know that?" muttered Kakashi in amused exasperation. "Ah, well. Today we haven't been assigned any missions, so we'll do some _training_ exercises. Now doesn't that sound fun?"

All three Genin groaned.

"And, we get to use the Chunin-level fields!"

"Oh, lucky us."

Kakashi, obviously enjoying their torment, promised them they'd come out in one piece.

Well, mostly one piece anyway.

* * *

One and a half hours later, Sakura was upside-down in an uncomfortable position between two trees, running low on chakra for the transparency jutsu, and wondering where on earth her teammates had hidden. The Chunin field was full of traps, explosives, and sharp pointy objects, requiring someone hiding to stay absolutely still in case of setting one off. It didn't help that all the other rookie Genin had to use the field the same day…

Before the tests had started, the Jounin had apparently thought it would be fun to test them all at once. This of course, led to confusion among the Genin as to why everyone else from their level was there.

"Hey, look! It's the losers team!"

"We're not losers, _you're_ the loser, Kiba!"

"We're waiting around for the field to open. What are you all doing?"

"Our instructor told us the same thing…"

"Aw, man! I have to put up with these guys? This is gonna be such a drag…"

"L-let's do our b-best, N-Naruto-kun!"

"You guys are SO dead!"

"Hiiiii, Sasuke-kun! Did you miss me?"

"Back off, Ino-Pig!"

"Gawd, I'm starving…"

"Ugh, being trained by the rookies…How embarrassing."

"Hello, my youthful Sakura-chan!"

"Oh…um…hi, Lee…"

"What are we all doing here, anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? The instructors want us all to beat one another within an inch of our lives.."

"Or they want to kill US and hide the bodies!"

By then, the teachers decided to explain the rules before mass panic ensued.

"Sorry to confuse you lot, but we're having you all participate at once to save time. The test is simple: a game of hide-and-seek. If you're caught, you're 'dead.' Genin still alive after the first ten minutes may band together to increase their chances of survival."

"But what you're not telling us is that a bigger group will make more commotion and attract Jounin like predators," said Sasuke smoothly.

"Correct, sharp as ever, Sasuke. It's your choice, stand alone and have a higher chance of remaining hidden, or team up for safety and risk getting caught."

One Jounin unlocked the metal gates of the fence that surrounded the training field. They swung open with a rusty screech, revealing dense forest and underbrush.

"Go hide, little children."

And so they did.

* * *

Only several hundred yards away from Sakura's hiding place, Sasuke was having problems of his own. Just a few feet in front of the bush he was crammed under, one of the Jounin stood, listening for any sign of Genin activity. The problem was, he had a massive itch on his right elbow, but couldn't scratch it. He didn't dare allow himself to be caught out first.

_Remain calm,_ he told himself. _Ignore the feeling and it'll go away. Think about something else. Anything…_ He closed his eyes in concentration, frowning silently and imagining dead Itachis. When he opened them again, the Jounin was gone, probably searching for less fortunate Genin. He allowed a slow exhale.

"Hey Emo Boy, this is a pretty cool hiding place, isn't it?" laughed a grinning Naruto directly above him.

Without a word or a flinch, Sasuke vanished, leaving a bewildered Naruto lying on a tree branch, staring at the spot where he'd just been. All he'd done was say hi, where on earth had…?

Naruto felt a poke at the back of his head, and finally understood why his teammate had made a run for it.

"You're dead, Naruto," said Kakashi smugly.

* * *

Sakura meanwhile, had given up on her upside-down hiding spot, instead going to search for anyone else to work together with. She got past Choji and Shikamaru, both attempting to remain concealed under wavering jutsu. Elsewhere, Rock Lee waved to her from halfway inside a log. Sakura supposed his green jumpsuit could be good camouflage in this environment, and waved back slightly before darting back into the brush.

All of a sudden, an enormous explosion made her fight to keep from jumping. _Well, someone's set off a trap, _she thought grimly. _The less competition the better, but I hope it wasn't Naruto or Sasuke-kun…_

She stopped suddenly, and ducked to crouch behind a bush. She sensed omeone a few yards in front of her, with chakra pressure stronger than her own, but not at Jounin level. Without making a sound, she inched forward to see if it was an enemy or trap. Relief flooded her to see it was only Sasuke, stepping very slowly and carefully across an area clear of grass, only consisting of loose dirt and small rocks.

She caught his attention with a short wave, and mouthed, "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing? You're out in the open, the Jounin will find you!"

He mouthed back to her, "Minefield."

"Oh." She blushed, hoping she hadn't put him in a difficult situation.

"Sakura, do me a favor and tell me where the bombs are. I'm conserving my chakra in case the Sharingan is needed," he half-whispered.

She nodded, and moved from behind her bush until she crouched closer to the edge of the minefield. These traps were made by Jounin, so the bombs themselves were difficult to find. However, she hadn't passed her Academy classes for nothing. Several areas of disturbed dirt became visible after thorough enough scrutiny.

"There's one about two feet to your left," she murmured after some time while squinting at the dirt, "and another by that rock. You should be caref-_"_

She moved one cautious inch forward.

_Boom._

When the dust finally settled, Sakura found herself behind another tree, away from the minefield, and cutting the circulation off of Sasuke's arm with a death-grip of humanly impossible proportions. How he had gotten them both out of the way of the explosion in a heartbeat, she couldn't even begin to try to figure out.

"That sound should bring Jounin running from all over the area," he muttered, giving her an annoyed scowl. "You should look where you're going._"_

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…" was the high-pitched answer, her face flushed with embarssment.

"You're such an idiot sometimes," he mumbled coldly, looking away.

"I know…" Sakura sighed, but then froze in place. Another chakra pulse came from somewhere within two or three yards of their location. It was obvious Sasuke had sensed it too.

"Someone's trying to stay hidden…and, enough with the gripping already," whispered Sasuke, even knowing Sakura had no intention of letting go.

She knew what was going on, though she said nothing. It was one of the other Genin, trying to decide whether or not to investigate to see if they were Jounin. Their indecisiveness meant they kept using an illusion, then releasing it, causing the chakra flares.

"Sasuke-kun…" whispered Sakura, leaning close to his ear to keep from being overheard.

Sasuke, misjudging the distance between her face and his, turned his head rather quickly.

Their lips met.

* * *

Yep, another chapter I redid out of boredom and annoyance at early works. Yosh.


	3. Accidentally On Purpose

**Chapter Three: Accidentally on Purpose**

* * *

Kiba had found the perfect hiding spot for himself and Akamaru. He could even see those two losers from Naruto's team hiding behind a bush from the Jounin. The girl had been stupid enough to set off one of their mines, but the Uchiha had saved her skin in a flash. Kiba knew she could probably sense his chakra whenever she looked in his direction, but it was no big deal. If he knew anything about those two, she'd be left in the dust soon, making her a vulnerable target for the seekers. So predictable.

However, he and his dog froze when those two came into an unintentional lip lock. The girl and the boy both turned a bright scarlet color, but suddenly the Uchiha's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell over backwards, unconscious.

Kiba's mouth dropped open, and Akamaru whimpered in shock. Maybe they weren't so predictable after all. The girl seemed like she was about to scream, then looked thoughtful, and began dragging the Uchiha's limp body over to an area halfway sheltered by a fallen tree trunk.

The words _dispose of the body_ flashed through Kiba's mind. Without hesitation, he turned and ran for his life, crashing through the foliage and not caring who heard him. Akamaru followed, knowing just as well as Kiba what had happened.

"Shino! Hinata! That Sakura girl killed Sasuke Uchiha!"

* * *

_Ok, Nya said he'd…well…"fall asleep" for a bit…and when he wakes up, he falls in love with the first thing he sees…_ thought Sakura, keeping watch over the unconscious Sasuke. _I'd better make sure that's ME, and nobody else…_

It had gone by so fast, but she remembered it in slow motion. Sasuke's head had been too close to hers, and when he turned to face her they ended up accidentally kissing…

Time had slowed down for Sakura. She remembered every detail of it vividly, how warm and soft his lips had been, how his dark eyes had gone wide, how he'd turned bright pink at the realization that they were truly kissing…

Then he had looked like he'd been shot with a knockout dart, and slumped backwards. For a second she'd thought it was a Jounin, but then had remembered Nya's words. Trying not to panic, she'd found a secluded place and stayed there with him.

Wiping the rest of the gooey potion off with her finger, she wondered how long he'd be "asleep." A few minutes? A few hours, or even days? If it was really long, Nya would have told her, she was sure of it.

_What will happen when he wakes up?_ she thought to herself, becoming excited at the thought. _What if he really likes me? What if we start dating, then start going steady, then-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft moan that turned out to be from her sleeping beloved. Without pause, she scrambled over to his side, her heart pounding in anticipation.

Slowly, his dark eyes opened, then widened when they made contact with her own. His face turned pink again as they stared at each other, his breath exhaling before he forced out a weak whisper.

"Sakura…" he murmured, still gazing into her eyes. "What…?"

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, on her side, and feeling like she'd just been hit by a train. Someone had violently shoved her away from her Sasuke-kun. It turned out to be a bit less than a train, but just as solid.

"Ohmigod, Sasuke-kun! Are you all right? That idiot Kiba's running around screaming "Sakura killed Sasuke," or something like that, and I just got so worried…"

Sakura pulled herself back up, glaring at Ino's turned back.

"Get lost, little Ino-pig," she growled, "If you'd believe something like that, you're even dumber than you look."

Ino turned toward Sakura, reciprocating the dirty glare. "Pss, like you've done any better getting yourself almost blown up, Billboard Head."

" Ugly!"

"Weakling!"

"If you two keep screaming like that, we'll all be found in about thirty seconds," grumbled Sasuke, now fully awake as he sat up to glare at the two girls.

Ino, grinning evilly at Sakura, put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder and gave him a sickly-sweet pout. "Of course, Sasuke-kun. Let's you and me go find somewhere with low visibility where-"

He brushed her hand off, scowling. "No thanks."

Ino, as used to being rejected as Sakura, didn't seem fazed at all. "You cou-"

"Your skills as a ninja are sub par at best," he stated without emotion. "You'd just be a liability." And with that, he disappeared, leaving the two rivals glaring, each blaming the other for his vanishing.

"This is all _your_ fault, Ino-pig," muttered Sakura.

"You're so pathetic it's impossible to say in mere words," Ino retorted.

"Pea-brained leech!"

"Fruitcake!"

Their insult warfare was immediately cut short when there was a sudden breeze, and in an instantboth girls were jabbed in the back of the head with blunt objects. Their teachers stood behind them in the blink of an eye, both looking disappointed at their pupils.

"You two really should learn to keep your voices down," muttered Asuma, sighing.

"It'll get you both into hot water someday. Oh, and by the way, you're equally dead," said Kakashi.

* * *

The two girls were quickly escorted to an area outside the field for Genin that were "killed." There was quite a group there, including Naruto, Kiba, and any others who'd gotten themselves caught. Kiba immediately pointed to Sakura, trembling like he'd seen a ghost.

"Look! She's the one who killed him!"

"Oh, knock it off, Kiba," grumbled Ino. "Sasuke's alive; you don't need to freak out like that."

"He's just angry 'cause Kurenai caught him screaming his head off," interjected Naruto.

"Like you did any better? Moron…" muttered Shikamaru in a bored tone.

"At least I didn't decide to take a snooze in a bush," snapped Naruto.

"Guys, guys, killing each other for real won't fix anything," interrupted Sakura. "We're all stuck here 'till the end of the day, let's make the most of it."

"Gah," moaned Naruto, throwing his hands up in mock disgust. "I can't live with you people for all that time!"

"We're not too happy about it either, dope. Hey, look, it's Hinata! What'd you get sent here for?"

"Oh …well…I, um…just…got found, I guess…"

"Lucky. Everyone else here did something stupid and got caught."

"Oh, like you didn't?"

"Come on now, no fighting, remember?"

* * *

Three days later, Sakura was in a deep depression. Nya had lied to her. Sasuke didn't like her any better. If anything, he avoided her even more since their unarranged kiss. Every time she tried to talk to him, he managed to vanish before she said more than a few words. Every time they were alone after a mission, he'd take off without explanation. It made her feel like such an idiot, hoping some stupid bottle of god-knows-what would ever change him.

_See,_ said her common sense. _There's no such thing as love potion, you got conned, and now Sasuke-kun hates you. What a wonderful world this is._

Even her own family began to notice.

"So, Sakura, what do you think?" asked her mom one night at dinner.

"Huh? Wha-? Sorry, I wasn't listening," she murmured in reply.

"Look sweetie, if it's about that boy, he doesn't know what he's missing. Now, I was talking about an overseas expedition. It's been organized by the Hokage, she thinks it might be a good idea for people in this village to visit somewhere far away entirely for non-combat reasons. What do you think?"

"Huhm," was the muttered answer as she poked uninterestedly at her food.

"It might help get your mind off things, dear," offered her mother.

"Well…fine, sure, I guess." _It might be better this way…Won't have to deal with…it…_

"All right then, I'll sign you up for it. Ok, honey?"

"Uh-huh…"

* * *

"You're really going all the way to some weird place across the sea?" asked Naruto when she told him of the voyage.

"Yeah…my mom thought it would be a good idea…" she mumbled, still in her slump.

"You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."

"Well, I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night." _He knows you're lying._

"Ok, then…you know, usually you'd be squealing something like 'never in a million years, not anywhere so far away from my precious Sasuke-kun' about now."

"I don't sound anything like that!"

"Uh, yeah, you kinda do."

"Idiot!"

_Thwack._

"Ow! What'd I do?!"

"You're being annoying."

"Geez, you sound like Emo Boy…"

Sakura didn't even hit him again for using that old nickname. Normally Kakashi would've shown up by now, and so would…

She hung her head dejectedly. Sasuke probably wouldn't even notice she was gone.

* * *

The day of the departure, everyone who had signed up for the trip was crowded into a train, and headed toward the coastline. It took several hours to get there, meaning Sakura spent several hours with her forehead pressed against the window by her seat, watching the country fly past. Forests of massive trees soon gave way to acres of fields and farmhouses, even a few small villages as the floor under her feet rumbled gently from the powerful engines.

The only experience she'd had with the ocean was in the Land of Waves. This would be somewhere even farther away from the village than that, another continent across the sea. What would it be like there? They had hired a translator, so that meant nobody spoke whatever language they had. Would they see exotic animals?

Despite herself, she was getting excited about the trip. If Naruto was coming, he'd probably spend the whole time fighting wi-

_There you go again, thinking about Sasuke-kun,_ scolded her Inner Self. _You're taking this expedition to NOT think about him. What's the matter with you? Be cheerful if it kills you!_

When the train finally arrived at their location, it was dark outside, so everyone was herded into a floor of inn rooms. Sakura shared a room with several other girls, meaning there would be little to no sleep that night. They'd all stay up 'till dawn, gossiping about boys.

"This is gonna be so boring," complained one from the bunk above Sakura. "Field trips are always so dull unless you get to do whatever you want."

"I think it'll be fun," said another. "You know, there might be some hot guys wherever we're going!"

"You boy-crazy idiot. Pass the nail polish."

"I'm just sayin', you know? 'Cause, all the cool guys we have are all dead serious about everything. They're no fun."

"You might get kidnapped and traded for a llama or something."

"You've been watching too many treasure-hunting movies."

"Whatever."

Sakura didn't participate in the conversation. Even with the reprimanding from her Inner Self, all she thought about was Sasuke. What would he be doing without her there? Duh, fighting with Naruto. She had always been there to break up their little wars, what would they do now?

One of the chaperoning teachers came in and switched the light off sometime later. Sakura lay awake for a while, wondering if her teammates would actually kill one another before she got back. She fell asleep thinking of Kakashi-sensei having to hit them both over the head like he always did when they got too loud…

* * *

_It was that dream again. Sakura was alone in her own little world when she was with Sasuke. The feeling of his fingers running though her hair was nothing short of euphoric, causing her to giggle as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being alone with the one she loved._

"_Sasuke-kun," she whispered after some time. "Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me…'Cuz you're always ignoring me…"_

_It took him a few seconds to answer._

"_Why?" he murmured finally, his hands still combing through her pink locks. "Because…you were always there for me…even when I told you I wanted to be alone…You're always there. That's why."_

"_Oh, Sasuke-kun," she whispered happily, as he caught her mouth in an enveloping kiss. _

* * *

The next day was the departure by boat. The only thing was, "boat" was not enough description to prepare the travelers for the sight ahead.

"Ohmigod, that thing's HUGE!"

Floating in the beach harbor was a massive ocean liner, rising dull and metallic from the seawater, with smokestacks blowing black clouds into the air above it. None from the village had ever seen something so huge floating so weightlessly before. They all stood on the tiny dock gaping until the deep horn sounded, leaving them all shaken as the teachers shouted orders.

"Everybody on board NOW!" shouted Anko, one of the Jounin assigned to Sakura's group. "If you get left behind, we're not coming back for you!"

Her sadistic humor made Sakura smile. She was always over-exaggerating anything to do with pain and misery…This journey was going to be very interesting.

The lines for getting on the ship itself were endless. First there was the line to get in another line, then the line for those in first class, then the line for supervised minors before they reached the departure pier. She didn't see how a tiny little stairway from the ship to the dock could hold all their weight, but then again she'd never seen anything like this before. After that, stepping onto the ship itself was a whole new experience.

"Ooh, I think I'm going to hurl," whimpered someone in her group.

"Get used to it," grinned Anko. "You'll be putting up with the sea and surf until we get to our destination, so find your balance here or get off and go home. We're carrying a lot of oil and coal in the cargo hold, so they're not going to turn this cruiser around just 'cause some of you can't take the heat."

Sakura, meanwhile, rather enjoyed the feeling of the wooden floor moving under her feet. It was like trying to walk on water back in Konoha, always having to keep your balance.

Some didn't find it so easy, and had to go to the side to throw up into the dark blue water below. Sakura was pleased with herself for keeping her stomach in place. _Ha, no seasickness is going to ruin this vacation!_

The horn blared again, the walkway was reeled in, and the ship started moving. Those who were left on the dock waved goodbye enthusiastically. Sakura waved back until the boy next to her blew chunks over the side for the fifth time. Feeling a bit queasy herself after watching that, she asked Anko for her cabin number to go lie down.

The hallways winding and twisting like mini tunnels under the ship's deck were endless, and unmarked. After getting lost several times, she finally found her tiny, compacted cabin. The door was at the end of the polished wooden hallway, and inside were tiny little bunks, not so different from the ones in the hotel, that would later be occupied by the other girls in her grou[. Lying down on one and closing her eyes, she thought, _This won't be so bad. We're on our way to see somewhere thrilling. There's going to be lots of interesting things, and lost of new people to meet. Sasuke-kun can wait until we get back. Everything's going to be just fine._

* * *

'Nother chapter re-written. Woots for me.


	4. To Save A Life

**Chapter four: To Save a Life

* * *

**

Anko stood on the deck of the boat, watching the shore grow tinier as the ship pushed out farther into the ocean. Soon the people only looked like a mass of moving colors and shapes. She didn't want to admit it, but watching that combined with the rocking deck made her feel a little sick too.

"There's a clinic below deck that has stomach medicine," said another Jounin, appearing behind her.

"I'm not sick, I tell you," murmured Anko.

"Just like Yusuke wasn't ill an hour ago, eh?"

"Ah, shaddap. Go yell at Genin for running in the halls or something."

"Man, you're cranky when you're sick," said the Jounin, vanishing before Anko could think of a retort. This was exactly why she preferred working alone.

Although the smell of salt and endless blue of the ocean was calming and exciting at the same time, there was that strange premonition she sometimes got when something bad was about to happen. Anko couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen, didn't know when, where or how, it just would…

_Maybe it's just some kids planning a prank or something…_ she thought. _But still…it feels bigger than that. What on earth is going to happen?_

Sasuke sat by himself on the roof of the hotel. The boat had left a while ago; he'd sat on top of a higher building and watched it push off, before returning to the first roof. The hotel building was pretty short and squat compared to the others, so there was no view of the ocean from there. Kakashi and Naruto had gone to wave goodbye to the ones who were going on the boat, but he'd stayed behind. It was eerily quiet without the usual Genin shouting and crashing into things. The only sounds were the soft rush of waves on the sand on the other side of those buildings, and seagulls squawking. It was like everyone on earth had vanished.

That is, until he heard Naruto come crashing up the stairs that led to the rooftop. What had he forgotten now?

The rusty door to the stairwell clanged open, Naruto's sweat-covered blond head stuck out of the hole it covered.

"Sasuke! Get down here NOW!"

"What is it this time? Did you forget another ten-yen coin?"

"No, you idiot! Come quick, it's the boat!"

"What about the boat?"

"IT'S ON FIRE!"

* * *

Sasuke sprinted to the beach, faster than Naruto could go. Skidding to a stop at the beach, he saw Naruto hadn't been lying.

Smoke billowed out from a hole in the lower left side; the ship had scraped against something below the surface of the water, tearing the metal apart. Oil from the cargo hold was by now floating across the blue water. Some of it was already covered in an enormous fiery blaze.

Lifeboats were already coming from the side of the vessel nearest the beach. Teams of medical shinobi were already helping to unload those that had gotten to the shore.

Sasuke spotted Kakashi ordering some teams of ninja in a loud voice.

"Kakashi! What's going on?!" he shouted.

"The ship hit part of another sunken ferry. It tore through the bottom, and the oil spilling out caught fire," responded Kakashi. "We're doing everything we can to get everyone off board. Go see if anyone's missing!"

"Yes, Sir!"

With the crowd of panicked Genin growing larger by the minute, it was difficult to distinguish who was present or not until Anko bellowed that if they didn't line up to be counted they'd all end up as fish food.

"Three hundred fifty-six," said Naruto after four or five recounts.

"Same here," replied Sasuke. "Kakashi, is that all?"

"Well, the list says…" murmured Kakashi. "Three hundred fifty…"

He halted in mid-sentence.

"What? What? What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" hassled Naruto, sounding nervous.

"We're missing one…just one. You two, go through the line again. Find who's missing NOW."

"Ok," they answered, and dashed off to opposite sides of the line.

Trying to keep calm, Sasuke went over the list of names in his head.

_Hakase Fumi, Hido Minetaro, Haruno Sak-_

Sasuke froze. Haruno Sakura? Where's-

_She's not here._

Running towards Kakashi at full speed, Sasuke tried to keep the images of her still on the boat out of his head.

"Kakashi! Sakura's still on the ship! SAKURA'S STILL ON THE SHIP!"

* * *

She had heard the screech of metal, but hadn't seen what they'd hit. Now, standing at the rail, watching the last lifeboat reach the shore, Sakura felt more afraid than ever before in her life. More than when she had thought Sasuke was dead in the Land of Waves, more than even the Forest of Death in the Chunin exams. All those times, there was always the possibility of making it out ok, but now everything seemed hopeless.

She turned around when the heat from the oil burning in the sea below became too much, and found a space unlikely to be affected by the tipping boat, between a starched-white wall and a wooden crate. Hugging her knees to her chest on the floor, she felt like a scared child, not the skilled kunoichi she'd always thought of herself as.

_I might never see them again…not Naruto, or Sasuke-kun…or Kakashi-sensei or anyone else…no, I can't think like that, what would they do? Panic? No, that's not it…Naruto and Sasuke always came up with a way to make things work, why can't I?

* * *

_

Sasuke stood motionless at the edge of the beach, his mind racing.

_Sakura will never make it by herself on that thing…I've got to think of something…_

A tiny glimmer of a plan came up. Even so, it was life-threatening. So much so that it made him nervous. And he was NEVER nervous. That had to count for something.

Naruto noticed Sasuke take off running toward the rockier end of the beach. There were only stones and coves, what was he going there for? Maybe he had a plan or something…

Sasuke remembered a certain cave from a book about this place. It flooded at high tide, but it should be empty just now. If there was anyone else there, they'd have to get lost. He hoped he'd be able to get Sakura and make it back before the cave was flooded. Or else…

Luckily, the area was deserted. The cave was small and claustrophobic-looking from the outside, and the freezing seawater was already ankle-deep and rising. Forcing himself to ignore it, Sasuke clambered into the entrance, having to bend over because of the low ceiling. Once inside however, there was a much larger cavern with a tiny skylight through which sunlight filtered through.

_Kakashi's going to kill me for doing this,_ he thought grimly. _But if it means saving Sakura, I'll try anything.

* * *

_

Naruto, having followed his teammate all the way to some damp, rocky area, stood behind the outer wall of the cave, wondering what the heck Sasuke was trying to do. Running into a crack in the rocks isn't going to help. What was he thinking? Maybe he'd just gone nuts, and really didn't have a plan after all. A fine time to lose your mind. He would just have to go knock some sense into the idiot.

"Hey, Emo Boy," he shouted, stomping through the entrance. "This water's freezing, so you'd better have a good reason for coming all the w-"

He stopped walking. The cave was empty. The tiny shaft of light coming in through the hole in the top of the ceiling showed that he was talking to thin air.

_Did he go out the skylight? That crazy idiot…_ thought Naruto. Ignoring the numbing water, he put one foot on the wall and used his chakra to walk up the side toward the gap. It was certainly big enough to climb out of. Reaching the edge of the crack in the black stone, he pulled himself up and out onto the roof of the cave.

The sinking vessel could be clearly seen from here, as could the beach and everyone on it. Where had Sasuke-

Naruto stared in disbelief. Sasuke was already on his way toward the boat. _Above_ the flaming oil.

_Sasuke…what on earth were you thinking?!

* * *

_

Sasuke flew toward the sinking ship faster than he'd ever gone before. Besides saving Sakura, the only thing on his mind was how much Kakashi was going to yell at him for doing this. It had been forbidden before, but this was too important to listen to his teacher.

Sasuke had used the curse mark. And not just the splatter-of-paint curse mark version. Not even the second stage, where it covered him completely. He had gone beyond that. The strange hand-like growths from the second phase had transformed, been enveloped in black feathers, and become gigantic crow's wings. All his senses had become superhuman, so he had used the skylight as an exit when he knew Naruto was coming.

Now, even though the heat from the oil fire was getting more intense, he could sense Sakura. Her heartbeat and fevered breathing were as clear to him as if she was right next to him.

_She'd better stay alive.

* * *

_

Sakura stayed where she had curled up in a tiny ball of fear, between a wall and a huge crate. Nobody had come back to the boat in all this time, and it was getting difficult to breathe because of the smoke. The fire was at such a high temperature now, it made her eyes water, even though she'd already cried herself out a long time ago. The edge of the ship where she was kept getting closer to the ocean as the boat flooded, ever nearer to the blazing oil. It was hopeless praying for anyone to come rescue her now. They'd never make it in time.

"Sakura!"

Her head jerked up, thinking she had started hearing things.

"Sakura! Can you hear me?"

That was… Sasuke's voice!

"Sa-…Sasuke-kun?" she called out weakly. "Where are you?"

"By the rail! Come on, you need to get out of there!"

Sakura, her hope restored, got up and ran to the edge of the deck. She couldn't see any ladders leading to any lifeboats. Where was-

"Sakura! Down here!"

She stuck her head over the edge of the safety railings. Below the cloud of smog, was…

It wasn't Sasuke. This…(the first word that came into her head was _demon)_ looked semi-human, but was hovering above the flames with giant black wings. She almost turned around to run, when it shouted to her with Sasuke's voice again.

"Sakura! It's me! I've come to save you, but you need to jump over the rails. Don't worry, I'll catch you!"

She hesitated. It sounded like Sasuke, but jumping off the boat, when it was surrounded by fire? It was a fool's choice. Then again, if she stayed on board, she'd certainly die.

"Sakura, come on! I won't let you fall!"

She looked at the demon-thing again, and their eyes met. She saw a genuine fear for her safety in those black-and-red eyes, and knew he was telling the truth. Climbing up onto the rail, she shouted back, "Sasuke-kun! I'm gonna jump!"

All of a sudden, the ship tilted violently, and Sakura lost her balance on the thin bar, tipping over the rim.

She screamed as she plunged toward the flames, but something slammed into her from below, and she felt a cool ocean breeze replace the burning heat.

Her eyes had been squeezed shut, when she opened them she saw demon-Sasuke and she were fluttering across the water, away from the blaze.

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered, still in shock from having just avoided death by burning. "What happened to you?"

He looked nothing like the Sasuke she remembered. Aside from the wings, he had longer, pale blue hair, and the whites of his eyes were black, with a permanent Sharingan for irises. He had a strange black diamond across his nose, and there were claws on his fingers instead of nails, with slight webbing between each digit. His ears had grown pointed like an elf's, and when he spoke to her she saw the glint of sharp fangs.

"I couldn't let you die, Sakura," he said. "So I… used the curse mark to rescue you."

"Sasuke-kun, what were you thinking?" she spluttered, worried for his safety now instead of her own. "Does Kakashi-sensei know about this?"

"He'd just say no, Sakura," was the answer.

They were just above the cave now. Sasuke slowed, and entered the cavern through the crack in the top. Sakura was impressed with his flying skills, despite herself.

When they reached the ground, Sasuke released her, and she landed in freezing cold water with a splash. Her feet went numb instantly. She turned to Sasuke, who silently folded his wings against his back like a bird.

"Sasuke-kun," she said worriedly, "I know you wanted to save me and all, but this is a threat to you, you know that. That curse mark only ever causes trouble when you-"

"I had to," he interrupted, not looking her in the eye. "It was important."

"Important? Sasuke-kun, Kakashi or the other Jounin would have come eventually, you shouldn't have-"

"No, they wouldn't," he said in monotone. "They were more concerned with putting the fire out than your safety. Kakashi was forbidden by his superiors from coming after you."

"He was what…?" Sakura stammered in distrust. "Why would-"

"Because to them, you're just one Genin, among many. One life among hundreds. Disposable. Unneeded. But you're not."

Sakura didn't answer. That was one of the least-insulting answers he'd ever given her. What was going on?

As he splashed through the water towards her, Sakura noticed for the first time the tears rolling down his face. She was even more surprised when he didn't stop and lecture her, but put his arms around her and held her close, closer than she's ever been to him before.

_Sasuke-kun is hugging you,_ her brain registered. _DO something!_

"Sakura," he whispered into her ear, "I was just…so afraid of losing you…I was willing to do anything to make sure you stayed alive…"

Sakura could hear his voice wavering. He had been afraid she'd die? But he didn't care about her. She was always just annoying Sakura to him.

"Sasuke-kun, what do you mean?"

"It's just…ever since that day, you know, when we were doing that Chunin exercise…you remember when we…"

"…Yeah?"

"Well, ever since then, I… I couldn't stop thinking about you…"

_He couldn't what?!_

"I avoided you because I didn't know what I was feeling," he said, a tiny blush covering his face, "but now I realize that…"

_That what? That what?!_

"Sakura…" he murmured, his face only millimeters from hers.

"I think…I love you," he said, and his mouth made contact with her own.

Nothing else mattered to Sakura, not the icy water now halfway to her knees, not the fact that Sasuke looked like something from an occult movie, not anything in the world. She slowly closed her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, lost in the feeling of finally getting that kiss from her dream. She didn't register the cold at all, only the hands on her waist, the warm lips touching hers, and her own quickened heartbeat.

_Sasuke-kun said he loves me. Nya wasn't lying after all._

They only separated when Sakura pulled her head back, the need to breathe overpowering her. Opening her eyes, she gasped.

The effects of the curse mark were gone. Sasuke was back to his old self, a dark-haired and dark-eyed wingless human.

"What is it, Sakura?" he asked, concerned by her staring.

She touched his face gently. "You…you changed back."

He held up his right hand and studied it.

"You're right…I guess I did…" he mumbled.

"Hey! You two kids!"

Sasuke and Sakura jumped and turned toward the voice, hastily dropping their hands to their sides and blushing guiltily.

One of the Jounin from Konoha had found the cave. He stood by the entrance squinting into the cavern's darkness.

"Are you two Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno? Your sensei is worried sick about you.

* * *

Bwahahaha! Finally some lubs! Woot!


	5. Light And Darkness

**Chapter Five: Light And Darkness **

* * *

"_All aboard for return trip…All aboard…_"

The doors of the train car clattered shut, and several shrill whistles pierced the air. In a moment, the deep rumble of the engines started up, and as smoke puffed from the stacks on the roofs, the many wheels under the carpeted floor began to grind into motion.

Another minute or so, and the train began to crawl along the tracks, then speed up as the seaside station was soon left behind, the paved roads trailing off into grassy fields once more.

Sakura sat as she had on the first trip, leaning against a seat armrest with her forehead pressed up against her window, absentmindedly watching the countryside flash past. Across from her, Naruto lay draped across two chairs, snoring softly in time with the thundering engines of the train.

Sasuke was late, she thought uneasily. The second they'd boarded for the trip back home, Kakashi had taken him aside with a steely glare in his visible eye. She winced involuntarily, hoping the man wouldn't be too hard on him…The boy _had_ saved her life, after all.

Even so, she worried about him and his mark…Whenever it took over, he changed into someone else, this time literally…What would happen to him if it ever got control…?

Her uneasy thoughts were interrupted by a clang of metal on wood, which also served to wake the sleeping Naruto. The door to their compartment slid open, and there stood Sasuke, still in one piece.

"Yo!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically, "How much did he unload on ya?"

"Hmph," was the answer, indicating talking would remain at a minimum.

"Aw, c'mon! Did he at least give a lecture on teamwork or whatever? Throw me a bone here, man!"

"Nothing happened," the boy muttered, and took his seat only one away from where Sakura sat.

For a moment, her heart panged uncomfortably, wondering if he'd taken back his declaration.

His glance caught her gaze, and his head inclined slightly toward Naruto.

_Oh!_ She realized. _He means…not in front of Naruto! Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're so smart!_

Naruto quickly noticed his female teammate's gooey-eyed smile at the Uchiha and rolled his eyes, making a gagging sound with his throat.

This immediately earned him a punch in the face.

* * *

Sasuke only watched silently as Sakura abused Naruto. It was a scene he'd witnessed many, many times before, almost a daily occurrence.

Only now, his eyes were not draw to examine the extent of the fool's injuries, but the features of his tormentor. Even with his glances away in case of being watched, his vision found itself sweeping back to _her_, cataloging the littlest of details. Like how her pink locks bounced every time she gritted her teeth to hurl more insults at the deserving blond. Or how her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment and anger as her hand nearly crushed the throat it held in its iron grip.

The fact that these were even remotely attractive was strange…but comforting. Knowing he'd seen all sides of her, the good, bad, and ugly, and still found himself wishing secretly for another chance to touch her again…

After all, she'd shown him so many things, like how understanding she could be. She had even promised to keep "them" a secret, partially because he wasn't ready for a lot of other people to know how he felt about her. He was supposed to be the grade-A shinobi, the perfect, emotionless Genin, but Sakura had changed that. With only a little thing like taking care of him during training, his entire view of her had flip-flopped.

Come to think of it, it had all started back on that day in the Chunin training grounds…

* * *

He didn't know at first how he'd passed out, just that he was regaining consciousness on a firm yet grassy surface. No part of him seemed to be injured. And there was that voice…calling his name, over and over…

When he had opened his eyes, he honestly thought he'd died. Why he'd made it to heaven in the first place was debatable, but the proof sat right before his eyes. A beautiful angel was kneeling next to him, wreathed in shining lights and gazing into his eyes with an expression of purest relief. He'd been confused, as she resembled his teammate, only…

And then the woozy feeling had worn off, and he'd realized…the angel _was_ Sakura, the lights around her only sunlight from overhead, and the voice that had called him had been hers, but…

At that point he was sure he'd turned red. All of a sudden, she was…_pretty_.

Never having thought that way about a girl before, his speech articulation had completely shut down on him. He'd mumbled her name and something else, captivated by those enormous green eyes, and then…

Then that annoying Ino girl had appeared out of nowhere and shoved her out of the way.

They were yelling at each other for some time, giving him a chance to regain his composure. He'd acted natural in front of them, but then taken off. He hadn't been sure what he was feeling, but Sakura's smiling face stayed rooted in his head. _What was going on?_ he'd thought.

And it had stayed that way for some time, his brain sort of switching off every time she came near him. Kakashi hadn't noticed, but he'd gotten distracted by her in the middle of missions. He'd even joined the farewell group on the train to the seaside, just to see her. It wasn't until they were alone in that cave together that he'd confessed how he felt to her. And that…had taken a lot.

Maybe someday everyone else could know, but not now. He didn't exactly know when, or feel like deciding, but someday…

* * *

Ino and her team sat across the aisle from team seven. Shikamaru was asleep, and Choji was stuffing his face, both doing what they always did. Ino, however, had been observing Sasuke since they had gotten on the train. He had acted the way he usually did, silent and indifferent, but he kept staring at Billboard Head. What was up with that? Just 'cause she'd been saved by a mutant bird one of the Konoha shinobi had summoned… ugh, that thing was creepy-looking. Almost as creepy as Sakura's gigantic forehead. Heh, she'd have to remember that one to use later.

Anyway, Sasuke was probably just wondering how could someone be such a pathetic shinobi and still be alive. She'd just have to go and help take his mind off things. Luckily, they'd left the door to their compartment wide open.

"Oh, hi Sasuke-kun, did you miss me?" she squealed, shoving Naruto face-first into the wall and scooting into the space he had previously occupied. Her teammates back in their compartment blinked jadedly and watched with passing interest.

"Hey! What was that for?" protested Naruto, rubbing his head where he'd hit the seat.

"Get lost, Ino-pig," growled Sakura, veins popping on her forehead. "We were doing fine before."

"Don't you go acting all superior to me, 'cause you got saved by a creepy _bird-thing_. It was almost as creepy as that giant forehead of yours."

Sakura looked as though she'd been stung by a wasp, Sasuke shifted his gaze to Ino without turning his head.

"_What_ did you just say?" came the dangerously soft whisper.

Naruto started sweating. This was bad. Sakura only spoke really quietly when she was about to unleash her fury at full blast. He had to get out of there, so he moved into the space Ino had left next to Choji.

"Cover your ears," he advised hurriedly to the members of team ten.

"Eh? Why?" objected Shikamaru.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT SOMEONE WHO WOULD RISK THEIR LIFE TO SAVE SOMEONE ELSE'S?!"

The sheer volume of Sakura's voice made everyone in their train car jump. She only ever got this loud when she was absolutely furious with someone. Ino had probably just gone somewhat deaf from being within five feet of her explosion. There was only one way, Naruto knew, to stop her when she got like this, otherwise she'd scream herself hoarse, and that was-

"Let it go, Sakura," interjected Sasuke slowly, enunciating each word carefully.

And that was it. Sakura, without protest, silently fell back into her seat and stared at the ceiling. Ino was still frozen from having taken the full impact of Sakura's "angry voice," while everyone in the car was wondering what on earth had just gone down.

"This isn't o-over, B-billboard Head," stuttered Ino before shoving Naruto out of her seat near her teammates and repossessing it.

Naruto complained for a bit, then reoccupied his previous space, wondering why the blonde girl seemed to enjoy pushing him out of things. It was like, every time he was somewhere she wanted to be, he'd end up eating floor. What was her _problem_?

It also looked as if everyone in team ten had been rattled by Sakura's lung capacity. Shikamaru wasn't blinking at all, and Choji had stopped eating for once in his life. Naruto didn't really feel sorry for them. He'd gone through many more incidents where Sakura had used that voice; they'd have to deal with it just as he did. Ha, he was a veteran of the battlefield.

* * *

Many hours later, darkness had long since fallen and the train pulled into the stop nearest Konoha. There was already quite a crowd there, as information about the fire had somehow preceded the group back home. Anxious parents swarmed their children the moment they got off the train, and Sakura's were no exception.

"Oh, my poor baby, are you all right?" her mother whimpered, crushing her poor daughter while simultaneously giving her a thorough check for even minor injuries.

"Yes mom, I'm fine," she answered with a reassuring smile. "Nobody got hurt."

"We were so worried, you must have been frightened to death!"

"Yeah…"

She didn't really pay attention to her mom go on and on about how they would have filed a lawsuit if the Jounin didn't bring back her little baby safely. She was too busy watching Sasuke silently depart in the direction of his home in the district.

He was walking all by himself. Nobody spared him a glance, showing he truly had nobody. No family, no mom or dad to fuss over him when he came back safe from a near-shipwreck…

She flinched when he glanced over his shoulder and their eyes met. He lifted one hand to her, a motionless wave. She hurriedly waved back with a sad smile, and watched him disappear behind a building by the gate before turning and allowing herself to be led home.

The house was as she left it, only now…Everything seemed different. Once calmed down, her mother left her alone to unpack, sensing that everything had been resolved. Sakura found herself looking at the picture of team seven by her bed. There was Kakashi-sensei, happy for all their achievements, Naruto glaring with Kakashi's hand on his head, her at the bottom, and Sasuke with his signature frown. He had looked so different when he had confessed. Like someone else entirely other than the Sasuke she knew.

This thought still lingering in her mind, she bent over to pick up something from the floor, and noticed a piece of folded-up paper lying on a shelf. _That_ hadn't been there before.

It had her name on one side in neat handwriting she recognized easily. Why had Sasuke sent her a note? She unfolded it, and began reading.

_To Sakura Haruno,_

_If I've already told you what I'm about to say, you don't have to continue, but if not, please realize that I mean every word of what I'm writing. Sakura. I've known you for as long as I can remember. We went to the Academy and graduated together. In all this time I haven't regarded you as more than just some girl with a crush._

_The thing is, your constant admiration for me hasn't gone unnoticed. I know I give off the effect that you don't matter to me, but don't believe that. I'm writing this the night before you leave for that trip overseas, so you probably won't read of it for some time. But I need to tell you that ever since I fainted in the Chunin training grounds, you've been stuck in my mind, and I couldn't figure out why. The thought of you would cause butterflies in my stomach, and I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I was in denial with myself for some time, but I've finally accepted the fact that I may be in love with you._

_You'll have to forgive me for not saying this to you in person. I'm not very good at expressing myself. I only hope that you realize it doesn't mean I don't care for you. I now know how you must feel, longing for someone with a burning desire deep inside. I wish I wasn't too much of a coward to tell you this. Maybe we could have shared that first kiss I know you've been dreaming of. Please don't think any less of me, but this is probably going to sound like Naruto wrote it as a joke. I don't blame him for crushing on you. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about you while writing this…maybe someday I'll be able to look you in the eyes and not try to push you away._

_Know that I don't know if you've read this, so I might act as I do, pretending to ignore you. But don't be fooled Sakura. I do care for you. I'm just not ready to show it in front of the others. I always thought that not showing emotion meant strength…now I know it tears you apart if you can't tell someone you love them. Please understand._

_Sasuke Uchiha_

She reread the note a few times before folding it back in her hands. He had written the letter the day before she left. He had been so uncertain of himself, it seemed, but he'd wanted her to know.

_Sasuke-kun loved me ever since we kissed…but he was too shy to tell me…he must have been so nervous in the cave, but…he seems so much more cheerful now…_

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered contentedly to no-one in particular. "I'm thankful I could bring back your smile…"

* * *

Replaced! Yes. I skipped one because it pertains to the plot as a whole. Will fix that one up later, otherwise someone reading this for the first time wil have no idea what's going on...


	6. It Means Nothing

**Chapter six: It Means Nothing

* * *

**

Sasuke watched from a rooftop as Sakura read the note he'd left what seemed like an eternity ago. His worries of her thinking it was a load of mush were dispelled when she kissed the paper, put it in a small wooden box, and hid it under her bed. Not wanting to be seen, he sped off to another rooftop out of sight of her window.

He was in love with Sakura. And she loved him back. He never thought he'd be happy about this whole situation. He'd never felt love or friendship towards anyone after his family had died…it was a feeling he didn't know how much he'd missed until now.

Maybe that was why he was so restless. It was already late, but he felt wide-awake, like he just had to get up and move. Konoha was dimly lit after dark, but there was a full moon that lit up everything with a white glow.

_What happens outside the walls at night?_

This thought moved into his head and became stuck there. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have realized that thought wasn't his own.

_What's it like, out in the wilderness, not having to worry about being attacked, like in the exams?_

The curiosity was strangely overpowering. Sasuke ended up at the village gate, and cleared it without being seen by the sentries. He darted into the woods that lined the path to the gate, feeling a strange sense of unbridled freedom from being outside those walls. He didn't know where he was going, just that it was somewhere away from everyone else in the village. For some reason, solitude seemed a better choice.

What was going on?

* * *

_Sakura was asleep again. She knew this because she was back in her fantasy dream world. But…Sasuke wasn't there._

_"Sasuke-kun?" she called out into the windless air. "Sasuke-kun?"_

_"Sa…Sakura…"_

_She turned around in the direction of the voice._

_"Sasuke-kun!" she cried. "What happened to you?"_

_Sasuke was once again in the third stage of the curse mark, but was lying on the ground covered with fresh wounds. Even the black feathers of his wings were soaked with blood._

_Sakura ran to him in a panic, kneeling down next to him._

_"Sasuke-kun…what happened? Who did this to you?" she said, wiping some of the blood off his face._

_"Sakura…please…I need you…" he said, his breathing ragged._

_"You need me to what?" Tears filled Sakura's eyes at his condition._

_"Sakura…I'm not in the village…you're the only one who can stop it…"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_His bloody hand grasped hers._

_"Sakura…if you don't find me before the end of the full moon, I'll die…"_

"_No, Sasuke-kun! Don't die! Please! Don't go!"_

Sakura woke in the cold sweat she always got after just having a nightmare. Her breathing and heart pace were both fast, and she could feel wetness on her face where she'd cried in her sleep.

_If you don't find me before the end of the full moon, I'll die…_

She shivered, but not from cold. What had that dream meant? All the other ones had predicted her and Sasuke in love, but this…what had he meant by-

Her fear was confirmed. There was a full moon outside her window.

She scrambled out of bed, pulled a T-shirt on over her nightgown, and climbed out her window. If Sasuke was in trouble, she was going to do something about it.

* * *

Sasuke had never known how great it felt to tear through a forest silently in the dead of night. There were noises everywhere, insects chirping and owls hooting. It was a whole other world compared to the bleak silence at Konoha.

He only slowed down when the trees thinned, then abruptly stopped. He saw why.

The land the village and this forest were stationed on gave way here to an enormous row of cliffs. The bottom was only a dark blur, so it seemed to be miles away. It looked like the whole Land of Fire was visible from this place.

That thought was cut short by a searing pain from Sasuke's curse mark. He fell to his knees, clutching at it with both hands. The shine from the full moon seemed to be affecting it, causing the throbbing to become white-hot, like molten steel.

_What's happening…what's going on…?_ He managed to think before collapsing dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. The burning was everywhere now, there was no escaping it. His last thought before the pain blocked out everything else was of Sakura.

_Sakura…why does it hurt so much this time…?_

_

* * *

_

Sakura had followed Sasuke's trail from the village gate. There were signs everywhere, broken twigs on branches, compressed sections of grass and dead leaves…it wasn't like him to leave such an obvious trail. What was he thinking?

She only stopped when she heard a thump, just a few yards in front of some skinny trees. Parting her way through them, she saw the countryside splayed out under an enormous overhang she was situated on. And sprawled in a heap, perilously close to falling over the rim of the cliff, was Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!" she said, rushing to his side. She was glad he wasn't covered in blood like in her dream, but worried nonetheless.

He had both hands over the curse mark, but Sakura could already see it expanding across his skin.

"Sasuke-kun, hang on, I'm here. Can you hear me?" she said worriedly, touching one of his hands. He didn't respond, only stayed in the same position, shuddering and pale as a ghost.

"Sasuke-kun, please answer me!" Sakura was close to panicking now. The mark had already coated one arm, and it just kept spreading. When it seemed to have covered him completely with black splotches, he stopped shaking and breathed more heavily. He lifted his head and held his forehead with one hand.

"Sakura…" he said in a scratchy voice. "What are you doing here…?"

"Sasuke-kun, that's not important, are you all right? You're covered in that mark…how do you feel? Are you gonna be ok?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck, that's all…" he muttered, but Sakura was still concerned by the mark's presence.

"Sasuke-kun, what were you doing out here? It's dangerous, this cliff is an infamous murder location, and we should go back…"

"You're right…I don't know what I was thinking…" he said, somewhat disoriented. "It was just- ," he stopped suddenly, then doubled over, moaning.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

"It hurts," he groaned, not lifting his head from the ground.

Sakura moved around in front of him, lifting his head up with her hands.

"Sasuke-kun…" she said, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over. She embraced him, and even though he couldn't move from the throbbing sting, Sasuke was grateful for it.

The waves of pain halted unexpectedly. Sasuke knew what was coming next, and Sakura didn't. Suddenly able to move freely, he hastily pushed away from her, got up and ran into the trees, hearing her call after him. She couldn't see what was going to happen…

Sakura got over her disbelief, and pursued Sasuke into the thickening forest. What was he doing? Why was he running from her? This time he was being more careful with disguising his trail, eventually she lost it. This part of the wood was unfamiliar, the tall trees blocked out the moon, rendering visibility to almost nothing. Sakura had to creep forward by touch, her hands out in front to keep from running into a tree.

She had no trail to follow, and Sasuke had gone off somewhere…how was she supposed to-

She froze at the sound of a stomach-turning crunching noise. It sounded like bones breaking against one another, coming from somewhere off to her left. Not wanting whatever was making that noise to know she was there, she moved silently toward the source. She halted. It was…

Sasuke. In third-level curse mark form.

The crunching noise had come from his sprouting those giant black wings, and he himself was on the ground holding his stomach. Even though Sakura had done nothing to draw attention to herself, he lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye.

Sakura came forward nervously.

"Sasuke-kun…what…what is this?"

He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I couldn't stop it, Sakura…it just…happened…" he said.

"It's not your fault…" she said, taking a few steps toward him. When he didn't tell her to stay back, she rushed forward and took his scaly hand in hers. It didn't feel like a human hand at all, more like something that wasn't quite alive and not quite dead.

"Sasuke-kun, you can't stay like that forever, it'll wear off, won't it?"

"It's supposed to…" he answered, "but…"

"But what?"

"This time it…feels different…"

Sakura widened her eyes in worry. "Different? How?"

"I don't know…it just does…" he said, staring at the full moon with obvious contempt.

"Whatever happens, I can't go back to the village like this," he said after some time. "They'll probably kill me before I reach the gate."

"No they won't, not if I go with you," protested Sakura. "If I tell them what happened then they'll-"

"You won't be heard, and in the commotion you might get hurt," he said, clenching his clawed fists.

"Well…then if that's what you want, I'll stay with you until it goes away," stated Sakura. "I'm not leaving you out here all by yourself."

He paused, then smiled that happy-smile at her, and even with the freakish effects of the curse-mark Sakura still found it cute.

"I'd like that," he answered.

* * *

Several hours later, the sky was beginning to turn lighter and lighter, signaling the approaching dawn. The stars were already disappearing. Sasuke watched all of this with a twisted fear in his stomach.

He still hadn't changed back. Here was the sun coming up soon, and he still looked like a demonic bird-thing. He glanced at Sakura, asleep next to him. Even in an old T-shirt and pink nightgown, she was still beautiful. He lightly touched her cheek with a webbed finger. She swatted the air in her sleep, and mumbled "stop tickling."

Sasuke stood up, careful not to disturb her. There was no way she'd go back to Konoha without him. But she had to…it was where she belonged. He didn't belong there anymore. Not like this. If she knew what he was about to do, she would follow him. He couldn't afford to have anything happen to her. She was everything.

He bent down over her sleeping form, and kissed her mouth, one last time. She giggled and rolled over, murmuring his name. He would find someplace far away, where there were no people. Maybe he could come back someday, to visit her again, but now she'd have to understand he couldn't stay here. The thought of leaving summoned a wave of sadness, equaling what he'd felt at the death of his family.

Slowly and quietly, he returned to the cliff where the full moon had caused the mark to spread. He'd only flown once before, but it seemed to come naturally in this form. Spreading his wings, he waited for a rush of air to come up from below. When a good, strong one came, he held his breath, and stepped off the cliff.

Sakura woke with a start when a sparrow landed on her head. It flew away screeching when she sat up, and for a moment she couldn't remember why she was out in the middle of a forest, in her nightgown, alone-

Alone. Sasuke was gone.

She clambered to her feet and took off running. She knew where he'd gone, that cliff again. This time she didn't need to follow his trail, the light from the rising sun illuminated everything with a rosy pink glow. Bursting out of the trees, she shouted Sasuke's name before realizing there was no-one there. She was the only one standing on the cliff, where had he-

She walked to the very edge of the rock, and peered over the edge. There he was, circling farther and farther away as the winds blew harder.

"Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. He didn't hear her. That didn't work, so she shouted halfway to the volume used only for her "angry voice."

"SASUKE-KUN!"

It was no use. He couldn't hear her. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she watched him float away on the breezes down below. Why had he left without saying goodbye?

She tried wiping away her tears with her hand, but that didn't work. _Well, this is life,_ she thought bitterly. _I finally get him to love me, and he has to leave because of that stupid mark. Why can't anything ever last? One more shout should make him hear m-_

The next thing she felt was a pressure at the back of her neck. Then she felt nothing at all. Her vision told her the world was tilting forward, but she couldn't feel the wind in her face. The dreaded realization dawned on her.

She was paralyzed. And being pushed over the cliff.

Sasuke heard Sakura the first time she shouted, no less the second. Although it tore him up inside, he didn't turn around to see her. He'd forget about his inevitable death if he saw her face. She'd probably be crying for him. He hated to see her cry.

He did turn around however, when she didn't scream a third time. She always shouted normally once, louder the second time and her absolute loudest the third. He spun around in midair in shock when he saw she wasn't on the cliff anymore. Had she left?

Then he saw the image that would be embedded in his memory forever.

Sakura, not moving at all, not screaming for help, just silently falling toward the sharpened rocks at the bottom of the rock face, like a toy fallen from the hands of a careless child.

Giving up on the light breezes, Sasuke shifted onto a fast, powerful wind moving the opposite way, beating his huge wings for extra speed. Sakura would die if she hit the ground. He wasn't going to let that happen.

When she had fallen over the side of the boat, he only had to interfere with her fall from below. There wasn't enough time for that. He descended into a nosedive straight along the face of the cliff, hands reaching out in front. The moment he grasped her arm, he pulled sharply out of the dive, mere meters above the craggy rocks below.

Sasuke pulled her up with both hands, and saw why she hadn't screamed when she fell. It was because she couldn't. She couldn't even move. If it wasn't for her wide, frightened eyes and rapid breathing, he would have thought she'd blacked out. He circled down into an area clear of trees, and laid her almost-lifeless body on the ground.

"Sakura, calm down, you're ok now…" he whispered soothingly, placing a hand on her sweat-covered forehead. She closed her eyes and tried breathing more slowly, but the shock from falling a second time was still there.

She hadn't jumped over the edge. She hadn't tripped, or fainted and fallen over. She wasn't like that. That left only one option. Sasuke shuddered despite himself.

Someone had pushed her.

That was the only way he saw it could have happened, but telling her that could wait. Right now, all that mattered to him was that she was safe.

"Sa…suke-kun…" she said softly, the effects of the paralysis wearing off. "I…I'm s-sorry…"

"It's not your fault," he said, stroking her bubblegum-pink hair. "You're going to be ok now…I won't let anything like that happen to you ever again…"

A single teardrop ran down her face. "I'm sorry…I'm s-such a burden to you, Sasuke-kun…"

"No…how could you think that?" he said, lifting her up and holding her against himself, partially because he didn't want her to see his own tears spilling over.

"You're always saving me Sasuke-kun, what have I ever done for you?" she challenged.

He turned his head, and watched the first rays of sunlight appear over the horizon.

"What have you done for me, Sakura?"

Even though she couldn't see it, he spoke into her ear, just as she had done to him before their first kiss.

"You showed me how to love again."

She raised her head to see his face, and gaped. Where the sunlight touched his skin, the curse mark was disappearing, as if washed away by the light. She stared as the black wings dissolved into the air, and his features returned to the Sasuke Uchiha she knew and loved.

He looked over his shoulder and seemed surprised that the symptoms had disappeared before turning back to face Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun, you changed back!" she squeaked happily.

He took her hand, smiling, and said "Then…I guess I can go back to Konoha after all."

The paralysis worn off, Sakura hugged him, her tears now of relief. He wasn't going to leave. They'd be together again.

"I'm so grateful, Sasuke-kun…"

"Me too, Sakura. Me too."

* * *

Tee-hee...Suspense! Woot! And more lubs!

And now for something evil...(A Valentine's Day Massacre, if you will...tee-hee...)


	7. Leaves In The Wind

**Chapter seven: Leaves In The Wind **

* * *

That early morning was one they'd remember for a long time. After parting at the village gate, Sakura had to sneak back into her room and pretend to know nothing about why she hadn't been there when her mother came in the first time, while Sasuke had to find his way home with his back to a wall the whole time to hide the holes in his shirt from the black wings.

Kakashi wondered all day why the two of them seemed half-asleep. Sakura literally slept standing up at random moments, and Sasuke didn't pay attention to Naruto's sarcastic remarks at all. They had probably stayed up late, studying in Sakura's case and training in Sasuke's. Crazy kids.

"Oi, Emo Boy, we're supposed to be picking up trash," shouted Naruto during one mission.

Sasuke heard his voice, just not the words. Even on D-rank missions he always exceeded expectations, but today it was Naruto who had cleared out most of the garbage from a privately owned park they were working in.

"Eh," he mumbled. Why did Naruto's voice have to be so high? It sounded like a needle piercing deep into his brain. Especially at nine in the morning.

Naruto left him alone, instead elbowing Sakura, whose slow breathing and stillness meant she was asleep again.

"Sakura-chan. Wake up, already! What's with you two today? Am I missing something here?"

Sakura lazily resumed picking up junk from the perfectly manicured grass.

"You're not missing anything, Naruto," she said slowly. "Didn't get much sleep last night. That's all." She yawned loudly, irritated that Naruto had interrupted one of her "Sasuke-loves-me" dreams.

"Maybe you two should think twice before pulling an all-nighter," suggested Kakashi. As usual, he sat reading while the other three did most to all of the work. He would only ever pull his weight on missions if they were being attacked or something…

Sakura mistakenly fell asleep on that thought, dreaming about them visiting the Land of Waves again…

"…And that's pretty much how the rest of the day went," finished Sakura to her parents that evening. Her father shook his head after hearing her explanation.

"You shouldn't stay up like that, it puts your circadian rhythm off-balance."

"Yes, Dad. Won't do it again."

"Well, you'll probably do the exact same thing after that dance in a few weeks…"

Sakura froze. Dance? What dance?

And then it dawned on her.

Oh no. Valentine's Day. And the infamous Valentine's Day dance. Oh god.

"Have you thought about asking anyone dear?"

_Yes, I have, only every day for the last four years of my life except this week because I've had more important things on my mind like finally getting the very guy I want to ask to it to like me back!_ she wanted to say.

"A little," was her brief answer. Sometimes brevity was the best way to go.

"Well, you didn't go with anyone last year, so you should make plans before the last minute so that won't happen again."

"I will."

_I'm doomed!_ she thought secretly.

* * *

_Ask him, you'll have a great time!_

_Don't ask him. He hates parties and social occasions._

_Maybe that's 'cause he's never had someone to dance with before._

_Maybe 'cause he doesn't like it._

_Maybe he's never tried it!_

_Maybe you'll just end up looking like another rejected fangirl._

_Maybe he'll be ok with everyone else knowing…_

_Maybe…_

Sasuke always leaned against the wall with some other guys and looked disinterested during those things. Sakura couldn't think of a way to make it sound right. For once in her life, the problem wasn't whether Sasuke would go with her or not, it was if he'd enjoy the dance itself. Unknowingly, she was taking his feelings into account for once.

_But what if he got over not wanting anyone else to know about "us?" What if we get to dance together? What if we get to SLOW dance together?_

She entertained herself for a few minutes, envisioning that particular thought.

_Yeah…they'd play some slow jazz tune, then we'd walk out onto the floor together…_

She imagined herself placing her hands on his shoulders, looking deep into those black eyes, which seemed able to gaze into her very soul…he'd smile nervously, and they'd progress slowly at first, because neither of them knew how to slow-dance, but then in a graceful flow of movement…at the end, he'd let her fall back into his arms and kiss her, showing the world they didn't care what anyone else thought, they loved each other and it was going to stay that way no matter what…

She giggled girlishly at her own thoughts. Too many romance movies makes for a vivid imagination. He'd probably only agree to do something that it looked like she blackmailed him into…still, she had the knowledge he really only wanted to be with her, and not any other girls who would inevitably repeat the offer she hade made so may times before.

Lying back on her bed and staring at her room's white ceiling, she daydreamed her little fantasy again and again until it became almost real in her mind…

* * *

_She was dreaming again. She was standing in a fancy rock garden, a spindly path leading up from the edge to a great castle sprawling across a mountainside. It was night already, so there were lanterns everywhere, casting a warm glow over the statues and tiny river, which fed into a much larger lake below the lit-up castle. She had never been somewhere so…magical before._

_A noise from behind an ornately carved statue of a lion startled her. There were other people there. Peeking from behind the statue as not to disturb whoever it was, she gasped._

_There was Sasuke._

_And…_

_Sakura?_

_After recovering from the astonishment of seeing another version of herself, Sakura realized this must be some kind of astral projection dream. She was meant as a spectator this time, not a participant._

_The Other Sakura wasn't her exact double, though. This one had long, almost waist-length hair, and a pink kimono with butterflies on it. The Sasuke she was kissing wasn't the same either. He was much taller than she was, and wearing a black robe with the red-and-white Uchiha fan on the back._

_Sakura giggled to herself. It was sort of funny, watching her dream self and another Sasuke in love. She knew how the Other Sakura felt when Other Sasuke touched her so fondly, having felt it herself with the real Sasuke. It was like her experiences were a romance story, and some unknown author had embellished them to almost resemble a movie._

_Other Sakura had laid her head on Other Sasuke's shoulder, closing her eyes in the blissful moment. Other Sasuke played with a lock of her glossy pink hair, his own eyes half-closed. Sakura was moved by their gentleness with each other. Is this what other people thought when they saw true love?_

"_Sasuke-kun…" said Other Sakura softly. Despite her differences from the real Sakura, she had the same voice._

"_Yeah?" Same Sasuke voice as well._

_I'm just…so happy that we're together…" said Other Sakura._

_Other Sasuke brushed a strand of hair out of her face._

"_So am I, Sakura. You know I love you, and that's never going to change. Someday, when I've done everything I need to do, I'm going to ask you to marry me."_

"_Really?" Other Sakura's eyes sparkled. _

_Other Sasuke blushed, and answered "'Course. You're the only girl for me."_

_Sakura was overwhelmed with emotion. If this dream was showing how they truly felt about each other…she couldn't think of a way to say it in words. Love was such a pure and wonderful feeling, and she was happy she'd brought it to someone so consumed with darkness and resentment._

_She sat back down on the other side of the stone lion, listening to the sound of crickets and wind blowing. A particularly stubborn moth was flying around the outside of an orange lantern, the glow of which seemed to fill more and more space until it blocked out everything else, and then-_

* * *

She opened her eyes, meeting a view of her white ceiling. She sat up, realizing she'd fallen asleep on her bed. Her clock said it had only been an hour, though it seemed like much more than that. She wondered about what that particular dream was supposed to mean. At least it hadn't been anything like the one before the cliff incident…

She shivered. That whole night had been so…unreal. It already seemed like an eon ago. But everything was ok now… wasn't it?

Sakura needed some comfort. She reached under her bed, and pulled out her tiny wooden box she kept important things in. What she was looking for was at the very bottom, below several other things she'd kept over the years. They were mostly items that only had sentimental value to her… a woven bracelet from the Academy, a piece of brightly colored sea glass, a shell in the shape of a star…and her love letter from Sasuke. She had stuck it in there only last night…her first addition in several years.

Opening it, she reread the last few lines of untidy handwriting. "My love forever to a beautiful angel…"

_No, Sasuke-kun,_ she thought. _You're MY angel. My guardian angel. You're always looking out for me, always protecting me…_

He'd saved her twice already in one week. Was she just danger-prone? Well…it was all right, he'd save her as many times as he needed to. Like her knight in shining armor, he'd always be there. Those hands of his that could crush boulders and bend metal would always be there to catch her if she fell. She treasured how even with such massive strength, he could hold her so lovingly, his handsome face always so close to hers, his hair tickling her cheeks. It must be every girl's dream, to feel so many tiny bolts of lightning all over her body when that special boy touched her so tenderly, then pulled her closer for a kiss.

She turned red even though she was alone, and giggled. Even now, her thoughts of Sasuke always got her excited. Back in the Academy, all the girls would squeal at the thought of being the chosen one to kiss him. But she had probably guaranteed that would never happen to anyone else…

A thought that had been stewing at the back of her mind surfaced.

_Is love gained through using a potion the same as the real thing?_

She had ignored that thought before, hoping to forget it. But it stayed in her head. Had she cheated somehow? Did using that potion mean only anything less than the real deal would happen? Then there was the most depressing thought of all.

_He only loves me because I used that stuff on him._

Her Inner Self argued against that.

_Well, any other girl would have done the same thing!_

_Right?_

* * *

Sasuke sat alone, in front of the shrine he'd made for his deceased family. He usually went there to burn with anger at his brother or to ask for the spirits of his relatives for guidance. But tonight his attention was on a photo he'd brought with him.

He'd taken it on the day before the Genin graduation test. It was supposed to be of the school building, but a certain someone had accidentally walked in front of the shot. Back then he'd been angry, but now he saw it as a kind of omen.

The picture showed Sakura turning to face the camera, the school building barely visible in the background. He now noticed just about every detail of the picture, like her wide-eyed expression of surprise, which he now found cute, the way her then-long hair swished in the breeze…

"Mom? Dad? I need your help with something…" he said to the air around him. "You know that girl in my group, the one I always call annoying?"

No answer. There never was, though he knew the departed souls were listening.

"I …I like her. And not just 'like', I mean I like being with her, and holding her hand, and…" he trailed off, and sighed. "That kind of 'like'. And…well, I know there's this thing in a while…Mom, you always told me I'd find someone special to dance with on Valentine's Day, and well…she's the someone. But…I want to go with her, and I really want to dance with her, but…it's just…"

He took a deep breath and blurted out, "I'm nervous. Everyone else will know about…well…you know. And I want to make it special for her, so what do I do? I need advice, that's all…"

He lowered his eyes back to the photo. It would make Sakura happy if he didn't hold back out of anxiety…but she was ok with everyone knowing how she felt, and he was used to keeping his feelings inside…

_Which is more important you, then?_ he asked himself. _What everyone else thinks, or what she thinks?_

_Duh, what she thinks. If everyone else has a problem with it, that's their fault._

He smiled, feeling a sense of power from simply not caring. _Their fault._

_Not my problem. They can think whatever they want to think._

_It's their problem now._


	8. Proposal

**Chapter eight: Proposal **

* * *

_February fourteenth: St. Valentine's Day: 7:34 p.m._

"D'ya see him?"

"For the last time NO, Ino!"

Ino pushed Shikamaru's head down as another couple walked past them on the way to the dance. They were hiding behind a bush along the path that led to the entrance.

"Why isn't he here yet?" she fumed. "He should be here by now!"

Shikamaru groaned. It was bad enough he'd been duped into helping Her Highness find her precious boyfriend, but to have to listen to her whining every two seconds? Unbearable.

Ino, less lethargic than her companion, scanned the approaching personnel like a security camera. Sasuke always showed up with the crowd of guys who never danced, only sat by the wall and looked bored. That crowd had come and gone, where was he?

She noticed Shikamaru stiffen. Following his line of sight, she saw, at the very back of a crowd of teenagers…Sasuke!

…_And Sakura._

She narrowed her eyes at the sight of her old rival.

Billboard Head was latched onto his arm, giggling like a hyena. Ino bristled. She got up and stomped her way out from behind the bush, picking leaves out of her hair as she went. Shikamaru would follow when he got hungry or she needed him, whichever came first. But right now the only thing on her mind was the separation of those two. She'd have to save poor Sasuke from that witch, by all means necessary.

* * *

Sasuke walked toward the designated building, with every step trying to look more confident than he felt. Sakura had all but tortured him to go with her. She had even made the sad face. The one where she got her eyes all watery and genuinely looked like she was about to cry. Because she knew that face practically turned his insides to mush.

But he wasn't regretting it at all. She may have spent hours doing her hair and makeup, the way girls do, and she may have worn the black tank top and red skirt she knew perfectly well made his nose bleed, and maybe everyone within five mile was staring disbelievingly at them together, but it was bearable.

He glanced at her sideways, wondering for all the world what she could be thinking right now…

Sakura was in ecstasy. Sasuke had agreed to go with her the day before, and he'd even showed up at her house to escort her. How awesome was that? Of course, her mom had made a fuss of every little thing, but they had gotten out the door without too much hassle. Her dad had even refrained from the "If-you-don't-bring-my-daughter-back-safely-you-won't-leave-with-your-head-intact" speech she knew he had been dying to give on her first date. She had rolled her eyes and complained that it wasn't a date, it was an invitation to an organized event. Her mother still used the word date, though. Parents.

Now, at the entrance to the building, she could tell he was doing his best not to turn red. He was good at that. Always looking like he was in control. One of the many things she loved about him.

She was right in the middle of a nothing-can-ruin-this-moment feeling, but of course-

"Oh hi-i-i-i-i-i Sa-a-a-asuke-ku-u-un!"

Sakura didn't have to turn around to know whose voice that was. The shrill voice was as familiar to her as how to throw a kunai straight. She ground her teeth in annoyance.

Ino barreled into Sasuke, hugging him from behind and nearly knocking him over. Sakura had to let go of his hand to keep her balance, which was exactly what Ino wanted.

"Did you miss me, my dear?" she twittered. "I just thought I'd say hi, in case you were lonely."

Sakura was the furious one now. She cracked her knuckles threateningly while glaring at Ino.

"Back off, Miss Piggy. Your presence isn't wanted."

Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura. "You know, maybe if you'd brought a bag to put over your head you could have-"

"Ino," said Sasuke in monotone.

"Yes?" It was the first time he'd addressed Ino for a while, so she was surprised.

He removed her arms from around his neck and said, "Personal space."

Sakura enjoyed watching Ino get rejected. Three little words was all she got, while he'd written _her_ a two-page love letter.

Sasuke took Sakura's hand and led her away from a glaring Ino.

"She's annoying," he whispered in full view of Shikamaru.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Naruto had been one of the first to arrive. He'd only come to this dumb dance because of the free food. Nothing beats free food. Except maybe if that free food was free ramen. The only thing that didn't bore him was watching Choji eat. The guy was like a human waste disposal or something.

He watched another crowd of teenagers come in through the entrance. The decorators had overdone the entrance a bit, so everyone walking through it was automatically covered in pink glitter from the streamers. Though, none of it would show anyway, with the pink-and-red heart-shaped light bulbs on the ceiling making everything all rosy.

Speaking of pink, where was Sakura? She usually got there early and helped put stuff up. But she was late this year. That was weird. What could possibly be keeping her from coming to stand in the corner with a bunch of giggling girls and stare at Emo Boy?

Several people near the entrance had gone quiet. Naruto saw why.

Sasuke had shown up, looking as bored as ever, but he had Sakura clinging to his arm. And he wasn't doing anything about it.

Naruto chuckled. She'd probably blackmailed him into going with her. This should get a few laughs. How much would he be willing to do for her for whatever she'd gotten from him? And what was it, baby pictures? This should be good.

* * *

Ino watched Sasuke and his tagalong reach the far end of the room. Sasuke leaned against the wall as he always did, but Sakura stayed with him instead of joining the group of fangirl stalkers. She was still holding his hand, and talking to him as if nobody else existed.

"What's their deal?" asked Shikamaru from behind her.

"Isn't it obvious?" she answered. "Forehead Girl knows or has something he doesn't want anyone else to know about. He's doing this to keep her from telling."

"Ah. Whatever," he mumbled, leaving in search of somewhere quieter to fall asleep.

Ino watched as Sakura spotted something across the room, pointing and smiling. Sasuke followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow. She laughed and pulled at his hand, the universal gesture of "Come on, it'll be fun." He allowed himself to be dragged over to the stage below the sloppily painted "Happy V-Day" banner.

"Hey look, they're starting the karaoke contest," some people around Ino said excitedly.

_So that's her game,_ she thought. There was already a line of people forming behind the lyrics screen. Ino joined the crowd of spectators congregating below the front of the stage. The overhead lights dimmed, and Iruka-sensei, the MC, introduced the initial contestant over the microphone.

The first singer was a blond Chunin. The choose-your-song was set to random, so the first one that came up was "Every Time We Touch." She sang it, but had a lot of trouble hitting the low notes. Ino ignored her performance and spent time looking for Sasuke in the darkened audience. All the lights were turned to the stage, so this proved difficult. It wasn't until the third act, one of Rock Lee and Might Guy singing: "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me," (leaving the entire audience laughing to the point of tears,) that she spotted the familiar flash of a red-and-white fan near the back of the crowd. She elbowed her way through the mob of people, only stopping when Sasuke waved at the stage from the back of the room. It wasn't even a real wave, meaning he didn't extend his hand up past his head at all. But the one on the stage, Ino saw, noticed it just fine.

Sakura stood holding the microphone, staring at the screen with an "Are you kidding me?" expression. Her song was "Bring Me To Life." How emo.

She got over herself when the first few piano notes spilled from the loudspeakers.

"_How can you see into my eyes, like open doors…?_" she sang, hitting the notes with a perfect soprano.

_Wow, she's pretty good,_ thought Ino. Apparently everyone else thought so too. Who would have thought she had it in her?

"_Leading you down into my core, where I become so numb…_"

Sasuke stood at the back, transfixed by Sakura's singing. To him, it sounded as though she was genuinely feeling every emotion the song played out.

"_Without a soul…my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold…Until you find it there and lead…it…back…home…_"

She had lowered her head during that last line. Now she raised it again, a spiritual green fire burning in her eyes.

"_Wake me up inside…wake me up inside…call my name and save me from the dark…bid my blood to run, before I come undone…_"

Sasuke realized she was pouring her soul into this song because of him. It described how she'd felt without him. And he had felt the same way without her.

"_Save me from the nothing I've become…_"

_We were both nothing, Sakura. Both lost in the same darkness._

"_Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me…_"

_You forgave me even though I tried to leave you alone on the cliff…_

"_Breathe into me and make me real, bring me to life…_"

Sasuke found himself chanting the second role's words in his head.

_Wake me up…_

"_Wake me up inside…"_

_I can't wake up…_

"_Wake me up inside…"_

_Save me…_

"_Call my name and save me from the dark…"_

_Wake me up…_

"_Bid my blood to run…"_

_I can't wake up…_

"_Before I come undone…"_

_Save me…_

"_Save me from the nothing I've become…Frozen inside without your touch, without your love, darling, only you are the life among the dead…"_

_All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see, kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me…_

"_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything…"_

_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul…_

"_Don't let me die here…"_

_There must be something more…_

"_Bring…me…to…life…"_

When she hit the last note with perfect accuracy, everyone in the crow cheered. Sakura stepped of the stage to let the next contestant perform. She found her way over the Sasuke and stood next to him in the back.

"You didn't tell me you could sing like that," he said.

"You didn't tell me you were actually afraid of coming here in the first place."

"Ah. Touché."

She giggled. Somehow through the darkness and jostling bodies, her hand found his. He turned red. Sakura knew he was allowing it this time because nobody would see it. Still playing the act of not liking her, eh? Wait 'till after this contest is over. Cue evil Inner Sakura grin.

* * *

Ino had joined the mob of fangirls. And they were about as pleased with those two as she was. Blood-chilling fury emanated from the group like steam from boiling water.

"How _dare_ she even think about putting the moves on him?" one with black pigtails seethed.

"Yeah, who does she think she is?" whined another.

"Something must be done about this," said a spiky-haired redhead. "The fate of any one of us dating Sasuke-kun is at stake!"

Murmers of "yeah," and "that's what I'm talkin' 'bout" circulated.

Ino was enjoying this. The group had already existed in the Academy, but had gained even more disappointed members after none of them had been chosen by Iruka-sensei to be on Sasuke's team. Naturally, they had turned against the one who had.

"We should come up with something soon," suggested a blond girl with orange eyes. "There's no telling when the supervisors might decide to start the-"

"May I have your attention please," said Kurenai-sensei's voice over the microphone. The music stopped playing, which meant everyone could hear Tsunade-sama's endless streams of drunken profanity.

_So that's why they had the volume turned up,_ thought Ino.

"Would all personnel please clear the dance floor? This next song is-"

"No!" whispered the fangirls simultaneously.

Kurenai said the forbidden words.

"-_Couples only."_

* * *

Hahahahaha! Evilness! (Thanks for the reviews, everyone! You're all awesome!)


	9. Two And Two Hundred

**Chapter nine: Two and Two Hundred**

* * *

_Oh. My. Effing. GAWD,_ thought Sakura. _Couldn't they wait a few minutes, or something?_

"Huh," murmured Sasuke, rolling his eyes. "Here comes the tidal wave of childish dares and rock-paper-scissors. I'm outta here." He began walking toward the large double-doors.

Sakura followed, knowing he wouldn't have done this kind of thing anyways, but feeling stupid for having thought maybe he would've danced with her.

The outside night air was cool, but not to the point of being unpleasant. Sakura followed Sasuke around the side of the building until they reached the back. There was nothing there but an alley with a few benches. The mushy slow-dance music could be heard through the walls, filling the air with semi-muffled jazz.

"Sasuke-kun…why did you go back here?" she asked. "If you didn't want to dance, you could have just said so."

"I told you before, I didn't want to dance in front of other people…" he replied, turning to face her. She was surprised to see him smiling.

"But here aren't any people here, are there?"

Sakura blinked, then laughed. "You're mean, Sasuke-kun. You had me all worried."

"Well, then…?"

"You have to say it right."

"Huh?" he asked, looking confused.

Sakura giggled. "You have to do it right, you know…"

"Oh. Slave-driver," he said. He got down on one knee and kissed her hand, making her laugh.

"Sakura Haruno, will you share this dance with me?" he said with a perfectly straight face.

"I graciously accept," she managed between giggles.

He got up, and Sakura found herself pressed against his body, his arms wrapped around her torso. She draped her own arms across his neck, and together they moved to the slow melody permeating the air.

* * *

Sasuke didn't mind doing the goofy theatrics, if it meant nobody was watching. Valentine's Day had never really held any importance for him, but with Sakura it was more special then ever before. He hoped she didn't notice he had no idea how to dance, and was just copying what he'd seen other guys doing with their girlfriends…

Did Sakura count as a girlfriend? There was no question as to whether they liked each other or not by now, but the specific name for their relationship was undefined. Was there even a name for the awkward, hand-holding stage that came after confession? Somebody should make one up or something…

* * *

Sakura, still feeling the blissful effect of getting to dance with Sasuke, wondered what could be going through his mind at that moment. She'd probably never guess the answer. There were so many levels to him it would probably take a long time just to unravel the first.

The ends of his bangs brushed against her cheek. Eyes closed, she inhaled deeply, committing his scent to memory. He didn't need any assistance to completely blow her away every time they were together. Another gift of his.

She let out a little gasp when she felt his mouth on her face, then laughed.

"Sasuke-kun, that tickles," she said, pretending to push his head away.

"Mmm," he answered, finishing with her cheek and moving on to her lips.

_What's that…? Lemon? She understands I hate sweet things, so she used lemon-flavored lip gloss? She knows me too well,_ thought Sasuke, referring to Sakura's taste that evening. Everything about her completely intoxicated him when they kissed. Even time itself slowed down, turning the seconds into millennia.

His right hand had found a place on her neck. His fingers played with her pink locks, twisting the ends around in a spiral.

_It's longer than it used to be,_ he though absentmindedly. _Only about a half-inch, but still. She must be growing it out again…_

The light dusting of glitter leftover from the entranceway sparkled like falling stars as it fell to the ground from her hair. Sasuke realized he probably looked the same, shedding pink and silver sparks all over the paved ground. He probably would have been annoyed about that a month ago. But there were more important things to think about now. Like Sakura's lemon-flavored kisses, for instance…

* * *

After about four million years, they separated. A gust of chilly wind blew through the area, scattering a few leaves across the pavement.

"Hey…you wanna go back inside? It's getting cold…" suggested Sasuke.

"Yeah, sure…"

He put his arm around her, and smiled.

"You know…this whole dance thing wasn't so bad."

Sakura laughed. "Imagine that, the great Sasuke Uchiha actually enjoying himself. Be still my heart."

"Hey, I have an excuse this time." They were past the entrance, meaning a second coat of glitter was rewarded.

"Yeah…and apparently, so do _they._"

Sasuke followed the direction Sakura's finger was pointing to.

"Oh. My. God."

Apparently they weren't the only unexpected couple. Naruto Uzumaki was attempting a strange combination of square-dance, Macarena, and flamenco with a bewildered Hinata Hyuga. Everyone else who wasn't half-hung over by now was staring openmouthed at this new development.

"_Naruto…what on earth or any other planet for that matter do you think you're doing?!"_ demanded Sakura.

"What? You two are allowed to show up all chummy-like, so why can't I get a little pleasure out of this snore-fest?" he shot back.

"You look like you're attempting an elephant's mating dance," observed Sasuke.

"Shaddap, Emo Boy. And where were you for the last ten minutes? Hiding behind a Dumpster, 'cause you were so afraid of dancing with a girl?"

The two boys rattled off onto one of their insult fests, giving Sakura some time to ask Hinata what was going on. As usual, she stuttered the whole way.

"Oh,…well, um, N-Naruto-kun couldn't find a partner, and um…well, he, uh… asked me and well…I said, I said ok and then…" she trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with confrontation.

"Ok, thanks. I'll leave you two back to it then. Come on, Sasuke-kun," she said.

Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled off somewhere else, but shot Naruto a look that said "This isn't over."

"Ooh, look! They have _pictures!_" squealed Sakura. From her tone it was obvious this was something she'd anticipated.

Sasuke raised one eyebrow. "You want a photo? A two thousand-yen photo with a cheesy fake Romeo-and-Juliet balcony background that'll probably leave you blinded by the camera flash for the next ten minutes?"

"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun. It's free, there's no fake background, only a fake ivy-covered archway. As for the camera flash, it won't kill you, will it? Pretty please, do it for me please?"

Sasuke twitched. She was doing the face. The face with the quivering lip and watery eyes. Curse her ability to do that face.

"Oh…fine," he mumbled.

"Yay! Thanks so much!"

* * *

Ino and the posse of fangirls watched Sakura pull their quarry into line for the date-photos. Some seethed, while others looked ready to burst into tears. But through their mixed emotions, they all felt the same anger towards the pink-haired one.

"If she gets a picture with him, they might start going out," one whined. That comment caused a new wave of misery to claim their minds.

"Look, we need to think of something. How could that picture be, say… _modified?"_ Ino suggested.

Several of the group nodded their heads in agreement. The slower ones took a moment, but eventually caught on and grinned. Anyone seeing their expressions of greedy desire would have been thankful they weren't the target.

"Now," said Ino, "where shall we begin?"

* * *

_Finally,_ thought Sakura. _It's our turn. Yay!_

She looked up at Sasuke who, having nothing else to do, was following Naruto and Hinata's 'dance.' Sakura tugged at his hand.

"Come on Sasuke-kun, we're next."

"Good for us."

"Oh, come on. Will you at least smile for the picture?"

"Maybe."

Sakura pulled him in front of the white plastic archway and its plastic ivy. She clearly knew how she wanted the picture to look.

"Come on, hold my hand like this," she directed. They ended up with something like a waltz, where they each had one arm around the other's waist and were holding hands on the side that faced the camera.

"How dare she?" mumbled Ino. If anyone was going to manipulate Sasuke into doing romantic camera poses, it should be _her._ "Are you guys ready with the mustard yet?"

"Ready," whispered the short one with the black pigtails. "Everything's in place. I've gotta admit, this plan of yours was genius, Ino."

"Yes, I know. Just tell everyone not to screw up."

"Gotcha."

"We dump on three, exactly one second before the flash. Are you all set?"

"Standing by," they answered in turn. The cooler of mustard would be overturned above the camera set by a thread pulley system. Sasuke might get splattered a little, that couldn't be helped, but Sakura would take full damage. That should teach her to mess with the fangirl gang.

"On three," muttered Ino, excited that her plan was coming into action.

"One one-thousand."

"One one-thousand," they repeated.

"Two one-thousand."

"Two one-thousand."

"THR-"

Unfortunately, Ino never did make it to three. Tsunade, drunk from too much sake, had entered the stage of violent delirium. At that exact moment, a swing of her fist connected with the wall. Because of her superhuman strength, a circular section of the wall crumbled like dried dirt. This was enough to cause a small tremor, meaning everyone and everything not firmly attached the floor ended up sprawled across the hardwood. Ino and her fangirl friends ended up scattered, while the cooler of mustard landed on one's stomach and rolled away.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. What had happened? There had been a blasting noise, and then-

She realized she was on the floor, underneath something blue and heavy. She blushed in surprise to discover the heavy thing was Sasuke. The blast from whatever it was had made him land on top of her. There was no serious damage, only a scattering of plaster and dust everywhere. People were sitting up and wondering whether that was an earthquake.

Sasuke's obsidian eyes opened slowly, then widened when he realized just how close to Sakura he was. Sakura noticed a red tinge cover his face.

Somebody wolf-whistled in the background. Red as a tomato, Sasuke scrambled off of Sakura, who was also a deep shade of crimson. Sakura paused when she noticed the whistles weren't directed at them. They both stared in disbelief at what the target was.

The vibration had affected many people. Naruto and Hinata had been unfortunate enough to be standing near the wall when it happened. Hinata's head had banged against the wall, rendering her unconscious. Naruto had fallen over backwards, as gravity pulled Hinata down on top of him. What some of the less-than-mature partygoers were mentioning was Hinata's head had landed on top of Naruto's, with her lips planted directly onto his. She was unconsciously living her dream of being his first kiss. Good thing she _was_ unconscious.

Naruto, still in shock from the whole event, was doing nothing to remove her. However, after a few moments he realized just what was happening and pushed her body onto the floor next to him, spluttering. Everyone watching laughed hysterically.

"He'll never live this down," mumbled Sasuke.

"Poor Naruto," said Sakura.

Kurenai-sensei's voice crackled over the microphone. "May I have your attention please. Due to technical difficulties, this event is officially over. Sorry to disappoint you kids. Next year this won't happen again. Thank you."

Sakura was visibly upset. "Aww…we have to go home just 'cause of a gaping hole in the wall? No fair. We've been through worse. Well, maybe the cold air coming in would disrupt a few things…"

Sasuke shook his head, letting fly a wave of glitter and plaster dust. "Nah, it's late anyways. People would already be leaving in another few minutes."

"Well…ok, fine…" pouted Sakura. Sasuke took her hand and led her out the front entrance. By now, most of the excess sparkles from the entrance had been swept away by the wind, leaving the stars in the sky the only things shining. Sakura thought it was a strange, but perfect end to the perfect Valentine's Day.

When they reached the steps of her house, Sasuke took her hands in his, just like the first-date scenes of just about every romance movie she'd ever seen.

"Well…did you have fun?" he asked casually.

"Are you kidding? It was amazing, a little weird but still amazing, and then you were there and…" she trailed off, her indirect meaning received.

"Well, that's good," he answered. He moved a little closer, just enough to kiss her forehead, the same one she'd obsessed about for years but at that moment didn't seem like such a big deal. Sakura's face turned an even brighter red. After a few seconds, he released her hands and said, "I'll see ya 'round."

In her mind, she spouted every expression of thanks she knew. However, she merely squeaked, "Bye, Sasuke-kun!" before watching him vanish behind another building.

She realized he had left something in her hands, a crumpled piece of plastic-textured paper. Smoothing it out, she saw it was a picture. In it, a dark-haired boy was lifting a pink-haired girl bridal-style out of the way of a falling plastic archway. Their expressions were roughly the same, though hers was more surprised and his more determined. The flash had gone off after all.

She turned around in a daze, and fumbled with the front door handle before drifting inside and to her room, oblivious of her parent's probing about how the dance went. She stuffed the photo into her special box after flopping down onto her bed, scattering her own layer of dust and sparkles.

_That's two in just a few weeks,_ she thought before closing her eyes. _It'll probably be overflowing by next month…all thanks to him…_

* * *

Awwww...more fluff! Sorry Saku, but I'm gonna have to roll in the angst next chapter to keep the story going.

Squee! Angst is FUN!


	10. A Promise Never Broken

**Chapter Ten: A Promise Never Broken

* * *

**

"That's a win, baby!" Tenten grinned evilly and added a bottle of Ino's shampoo to her growing pile of winnings, which included, but was not limited to, six bottles of nail polish, a hairbrush, several thousand yen, a movie ticket and a tiny stuffed panda.

"What?! No fair! You cheated somehow, I know it!" fumed Ino.

"Just face it, you're never going to beat Tenten at mahjong. She's like…the mahjong Buddha or something."

"Shut up!"

Sakura watched all this with amusement. It was somebody's birthday slumber party, and of course Tenten had brought her infamous little box of tiles. Ino-pig was in the middle of a losing streak, cheered on by several other girls. Everyone but her was doing something. Some were watching _Father of the Bride,_ some were doing each other's hair, but she only sat on her maroon sleeping bag and pretended to be interested.

Her mind kept wandering back to the middle of February…back to the date-that-wasn't-a-date. Her reflections were interrupted when some girls found a board game with "The Dating Game" in loopy cursive on the front. Someone up there wanted to mess with Sakura's head tonight.

"Everyone has to play!" announced the birthday girl. "Anyone who doesn't has to buzz someone's house in their PJs!"

Everyone, including Sakura, sat down in a circle, mumbling verbally abusive comments. Sakura only half-listened while someone tried reading the rules. Something about finding your perfect match, yada yada. Why was she playing this again? Oh, yeah. The threat of being outside when it was sixty degrees.

Several sheets of paper and brightly colored gel pens were passed around. One girl began reading off questions from a deck of cards.

"If your boyfriend forgot your birthday, would you A: kick the snot out of him, B: it's no big deal forgive him, or C: cry like a two-year-old?"

Pens scribbled across their designated surfaces. This line of questions continued, ending with "True/False: boys do stupid things because they want attention." Sakura handed up her paper, interested in how this was going to turn out. The card-reader flipped up the first sheet on the stack, and compared answers with the directions. She giggled. Not a good sign.

"I…I'm sorry, Hinata-chan…" she said, laughing. Hinata looked like she was about to faint.

"According to this, your ideal boyfriend would be…a loud, obnoxious, forgetful, determined idiot with a big heart and a one-track mind who never stops aiming for the stars. Not very popular with others, but will always be someone to lean on. Definite future with this one. I think we all know who _that_ is…" she collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Everyone else followed suit. Poor Hinata really did faint this time. Someone stuck a pillow under her head, and they resumed totaling the results. Hinata eventually woke up and went to hide in the bathroom. Sakura waited for her to come out, ignoring the other results, until someone poked her.

"Sakura-chan, don't you want to hear yours?"

"Oh, yeah sure, go ahead…" she said, her eyes still on the bathroom door.

"All righty then…your ideal boyfriend would be…someone you have known and respected for a very long time, who would totally fall for you but keep it a secret 'cause he's shy…"

Sakura forgot about Hinata for a moment and genuinely listened this time.

"…Who has trouble making friends but never has a problem talking to you, and doesn't like losing. Many surprises are in store for you both. Geez, sounds like…" the girl scratched her head. Then, if it was a cartoon, a little light bulb would have gone off above her head.

"Oh, I know! It's _Shino,_ isn't it?!"

"WHA-A-A-AT?!" shouted Sakura. The other girls literally fell over laughing.

"Sakura-chan and Shino, sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"She likes him! It's true!"

"It is NOT!" Sakura was really steamed now. "He's scary! The only one for me is Sasuke-kun!"

Some of them stopped laughing. Ino looked strangely smug. The girl with the answer sheet looked embarrassed, like she'd done something she shouldn't have.

"A-actually Sakura-chan…there was already a result for him…" she read off a paper with bright green handwriting on it.

"Your ideal boyfriend always seems to be in control. Has lots of admirers, but you stand out above the crowd. Will probably let you know in writing, 'cause he's afraid to tell you in person. Stands by friends and beliefs no matter what. Extremely good-looking. A long and passionate romance is in store for you both."

She lowered the paper. "And, well…that one was Ino-chan's."

Sakura stared for a minute or two. Everyone was sure she was going to lose it, and so started looking for protection. Sakura being angry meant find a bomb shelter or get smashed against a wall.

Then Sakura started laughing. It got louder and louder until she was on the floor in a fit of hysterics. Everyone was staring by now. She calmed down, and wiped a tear off her face.

"I'm sorry…that was just so funny…" she cracked up again.

Ino didn't like being laughed at. It was one of very few things that got her mind-bendingly furious with a simple sentence.

"Jealous, Billboard Head? That all you get is a bug-lover who watches Bill Nye the Science Guy reruns?"

Sakura smirked, infuriating Ino even more. "Honestly, Pig-chan. It's a board game. You don't really think this is all actually going to happen, do you?"

"Um, well, uh, let's do something else now!" someone hurriedly suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. Disaster averted.

"Truth or Dare!" somebody squealed. Groans echoed off the walls. That was such a childish game…

At that moment, Hinata decided to return from her hideout in the bathroom. She stared at her toes, hoping to become invisible, but joined the rest of the group nonetheless.

"Tenten-chan…truth or dare!" a random girl squealed.

"Eh? Oh. Hum…truth me."

"Do you like Neji-kun?"

Tenten blushed. And stuttered. And generally acted like Hinata when somebody asked her too many questions in a row.

"W-we're good friends, if that's what…"

"Come on, Tenten-chan. do you LIKE like Neji-kun?"

"…Um?..."

Deep breath.

"…Maybe…"

Giggling girls fell over themselves laughing. Tenten muttered something under her breath about various methods of autopsy.

"Sakura-chan! Truth or dare?!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Truth. And can't we play something less lame?"

"Nope. Your question is…have you ever kissed a guy?!"

Sakura's eye twitched. Everyone was staring at her. Suddenly she felt about two inches tall. And unable to talk, because when she tried only a squeak came out.

"Well…" blood rushed to her face. The rules of truth in truth or dare were "truth or automatic dare." She was a little afraid of the dares these girls could come up with, having been a witness to several. But…could she get away with a convincing lie? If she said "no," they'd all believe that. But what if-

"I bet she was making out with Shino or something…"

Sakura shot Ino a death glare. Forgetting exactly what the situation was, she blurted, "Oh, yeah, Pork-chan? You're just jealous-"

She stopped talking, her eyes on something that had fallen out of the stack of papers from the board game participants. It was a twice-folded yellow paper, unlike the other white sheets. It had a name on the outside in scribbled blue ink.

Then Ino scooted a foot to the left and sat on it.

Without a word, Sakura shoved her roughly off the spot.

"HEY! What gives, Forehead Girl?!" she protested loudly. Sakura swiped the paper and, reading the name on the front, made a beeline for the bathroom and shut herself in.

Ignoring the questioning comments and complaints issuing from the other room, she flipped open the paper with _Dear Sakura_ scrawled across the front.

Some of the girls got worried when she didn't come out for several minutes. When Hinata did it, it was no big deal, they were used to her getting embarrassed and bailing out all the time. But Sakura? It was just unnatural.

"Sakura-chan?" one called softly, rapping the door with her knuckle. "You've been in there a while, is everything ok?"

The door opened when they tried the doorknob. It swung open to reveal a vacant bathroom. No Sakura. The window was also wide open.

Weeks later, some of them would ask her why she'd left without saying anything. She would sign, and say "Dunno. Just did," and leave it at that. Hardly any of them believed that excuse. And none of them ever did guess why exactly she'd made a speed exit out the window. They didn't need to know…

_Dear Sakura,_

_Village gate. 10 p.m. It's important. Love, Sasuke._

* * *

Sakura sprinted down several streets that led to the Konoha Gate. In her hurry she'd pulled on her clothes over her nightgown, but it was still cold. Why had Sasuke sent her a note? He knew where she was. Maybe it was personal? 

She skidded to a stop, and scanned the area for said shinobi.

Sasuke sat alone on a wooden bench, a light breeze tossing his hair across his face. Unlike her, he was dressed properly for the cold weather. When he heard Sakura approach him, he stood up, surprised.

"Sakura…it's fifty-nine degrees. What are you doing out here like that?"

"Sorry…" she said. She didn't want to admit she'd left in such a hurry just because he wanted to see her.

_Well, he HAD said it was important!_ argued her Inner Self.

She uttered a small "Eep!" when he shrugged off his gray jacket and placed it around her shoulders. It was warm from his body heat, and smelled like him.

"So…what did you want me for, Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

He wouldn't look her in the eye. Not a good sign.

"Sakura…I…there's something I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" Now she was nervous. What was he going to say?

"Sakura…you know you mean more to me than anything in the world, right?"

_Eh? What's that mean?_

"And you know I'd do anything to make sure you were always ok?"

"Yeah…you said that once." She mumbled, afraid of when he would finally drop the bombshell.

"Then, you'll understand," he said, smiling weakly. "You always understand."

_Gah! Not good! No matter what, you have to support him!_ screamed Inner Sakura.

"What's wrong, then?" Her voice was a high squeak now.

"Sakura, I…" He lowered his head. "I have to leave Konoha village."

* * *

It took Sakura's brain a few seconds to process what he had just said. 

"You…what?" she said softly.

"Sakura…I'm so sorry…"

"Why?" was all she could ask. However, her Inner Self was going nuts.

_What?! NO! Leave the village?! Why, Sasuke-kun?! You can't leave!_

She allowed herself to be pulled into one of his hugs. She then realized they were both crying.

_That's three times I've seen him do that…all because of me…have I brought him more sadness than happiness?_

"Because…" he lowered his voice to a whisper. "To protect you."

"From what?"

"It's Orochimaru, Sakura…he said he was going to kill you…"

She turned white. _He said what?_

"He said if I didn't leave, he'd come and murder you and make me watch while he did…Sakura, I can't stand the thought of you being hurt…"

She knew he didn't want to use the word "dead."

"Please…you've got to promise me you won't tell anyone about this. If they know, they'll send people to come for me. He said if that happened, he'd…"

He swallowed with some difficulty, but continued.

"He said he'd make your death as painful as possible…"

She was shivering now, from fear more than cold. Sasuke hated to see her like that.

"Sakura, I won't join him…I'll pretend to, but as soon as I'm strong enough, he's dead…then he won't threaten you anymore…"

"Sasuke-kun…" she was sobbing now. He let her cry on his shoulder, his own heart feeling like it was breaking in two.

She noticed he had pulled something out of his shuriken holster. Two silver chains glinted in the streetlight's yellow glow.

"You know what this is?" he asked, knowing she could identify anything in the world.

Her eyes widened. He was holding up a yin-and-yang pendant, with a looped chain at each end. That in itself wasn't so impressive, but…

"That's Ametrium," she said, staring through teary eyes. "A magnetic stone that's always attracted to objects made of the same material."

He yanked apart the two halves, forming two necklaces. Black and white.

"In this case though, it's something more than just a fancy rock," he said, placing the black half in her hand and closing the fingers over it.

"It's a promise. I will come back someday. You're my other half, Sakura. This way, I'll always have a little bit of your light with me."

He hung the yang pendant around his neck. Sakura did the same to herself with the yin. The black mineral floated slightly toward the pale rock on his chain. She half-laughed, half-cried.

"I'll never take it off, Sasuke-kun…I promise."

"Same here."

She closed her eyes when his lips touched hers. She squeezed him even harder, because letting go meant accepting he would leave.

Unfortunately, there was only so long humans can go without breathing. He pulled his head back, and wiped some of her tears off her face with his finger.

"Don't cry, Sakura. I'll come back."

"I'll miss you, Sasuke-kun"

"And I'll miss you just as much. Don't fall for any other guys while I'm not here, 'k?"

"I won't," she said, smiling halfheartedly.

He stepped back, releasing her hands. The wind picked up, swirling around the two as if it was a whirlpool of air.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out over the noise. "I love you!"

He gave her a final happy-smile through the tears that streaked his own face, and waved a little back.

"I love you too, Sakura."

And with that last gesture, he vanished into the wind, taking a piece of her heart with him.

* * *

**---END OF PART ONE---**

**

* * *

**

Awww! Oro made Sasu leave! The big ol' poopy head. But! All is not lost! Part 2 is...(drumroll) Shippuuden! Wheee!

Yes, this will be after Sasu leaves and yada yada (no fillers, THANK GAWD). Several years in the future.

And his team is sent out to find him! Expect angst! And a dragon! Woots!


	11. Recollection

**---PART TWO---

* * *

**

**Chapter 11: Recollection

* * *

**

"Eh, Sakura-chan. What's the matter?"

Sakura snapped out of her reminiscing. Naruto sat across from her, looking concerned. Just a second ago he had been scarfing down ramen like a starving hobo.

"It's nothing, just forget about it."

He tilted his head at her. She sighed.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We'll find him."

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the loud noises around them. They had only been in this town a few days, and still nothing. The only decent place to eat was the run-down dump they were currently situated in. Unfortunately they were up to their eyeballs in drunks, meaning absolutely no quiet moments at any given time.

"Duck!"

They both obeyed the voice as a bottle sailed over their heads and shattered against the opposite wall. Everyone had to have good reflexes in this place, or they got nailed. Being a shinobi helped sometimes.

She muttered several words she'd learned from training under Tsunade quietly so Naruto wouldn't hear. He might be nearing sixteen, but he still had the mindset of a twelve-year-old.

"This place is impossible," he complained in his squeaky voice. "Why can't we get them to quiet down?"

"Because I said so." Her eyes rested on his Konoha headband. "And will you _please_ take that off? We're trying to be inconspicuous. One of them might try to start a fight with you because a Jounin killed his grandfather or something." She had hidden her own headband in her bag for that reason.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. We're hundreds of miles away from any shinobi villages."

She groaned. "You're such a bonehead. Isn't one of the most important rules 'always be prepared for anything?' I'm sure Kakashi-sensei told you that at least once."

"Well, but who listens to that perv?"

She shook her head. He wasn't going to listen. He'd been stubborn all his life and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Sakura turned her head slowly, to avoid any surprise attacks that might come. Behind her stood two women, a disturbingly fat one and an anorexic-looking one. The skinny one peered at her the way a crane stares at an edible frog.

"Excuse me miss, but would you by any chance happen to be shinobi warriors?" Her voice was high and crackly.

Sakura shot Naruto a death glare. "This is your fault," she hissed at him. Turning back to the two, she said, "Why do you ask?"

The fat one spoke this time.

"Well dearie, there's a bit of a problem we could use the help of a trained warrior with…"

Sakura waved her hand. "Sorry, lady. We're already in the middle of something." She was visibly irritated at being called "dearie."

"Oh, but we'll pay generously. This involves the well-being of the whole town."

_Gah. Stupid rules about not turning down requests involving welfare of so many people…_

Naruto had stopped eating, and listened intently. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"For several months now, almost a year, our livestock have been disappearing."

"Thieves?"

"No, dearie, it's something else." The fat woman licked her skinny lips and continued.

"Some men have stayed up late to find out where their animals are going, dearie. Everyone who has came back with the most ridiculous claims."

She was whispering excitedly now.

"They claim a certain creature comes down from the cave up on the mountain and steals their animals right out of their pens!"

"What kind of creature?" asked Naruto. Sakura sent him another look, one that said "Don't encourage them!"

"A _dragon._"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really?"

Sakura however, didn't buy a word of it.

"Yeah, right. A dragon. Tch."

"Oh, but dearie. It's true. We've seen it, my sister and me. We have."

_Not much of a family resemblance,_ thought Sakura, glancing between the overweight and underweight women.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at her pleadingly. He really wanted to see this dragon they were totally making up. What a little kid.

"Gah…" she mumbled, knowing she was going to regret this. "Fine. But we'd better get paid in full for this." _We could definitely use the money…_

"Oh, you will, dearie. Charitably. Even more if you can finish the job faster." The two bowed deeply, and exited the room just as another bottle crashed against the window.

Naruto looked excited. "Come on, Sakura-chan. We get paid to clear out some bandit hideout they think a dragon's living in! Did I mention we get paid?"

Sakura placed a hand on her forehead. "You're too energetic."

He grinned. "Yeah, I know. But come on, couldn't we use some extra cash?"

She was rubbing her necklace between two fingers. The same necklace Sasuke had given her so long ago. Doing so meant she was thinking hard about something.

"Gah…fine. If we can finish it tomorrow, all the better. More cash, and we get out of here faster."

Naruto grinned again, and went back to making ramen disappear. Sakura sighed. As Shikamaru always said, this was going to be such a drag…

* * *

"Come on, Sakura-chan! We're not getting paid to stand around and stare!" 

"Sorry…I zoned out."

Sakura watched Naruto scale the boulders in front of her like a monkey. A blond, hyperactive monkey. He was already going full speed, and it wasn't even daylight yet.

She yawned, and followed his trail. Just because they were exploring a cave reminded her of back then… when _he_ had still been there…

"Hey Sakura-chan! I'm already at the top! What's takin' ya?"

She groaned. Naruto may have gotten more powerful in the last two years, but hadn't lost any of his energy. Which was a good thing in this case, seeing as just getting up to this cave made her break out in a sweat.

He was up and running by the time she heaved herself up onto the cave floor from below. The whole place was carved into a mountain, so it was rather windy. She pulled out a thread and tied back her now shoulder-length hair so it wouldn't get in the way. Naruto's eyes were already sparkling with excitement.

"Let's go! I wanna see the dragon! "

"Calm down, it won't disappear if you wait a few minutes so your teammate doesn't drop dead from exhaustion."

_Reckless__ gossipers,_ mumbled her Inner Self. _If he had just hidden his headband like I told him to, those morons wouldn't have come begging us to get rid of some dragon apparently living in this godforsaken place…_

"Are you ready yet? Are you?"

"Fine, let's go."

_Stupid cave in a stupid mountain, stupid townspeople and their stupid made-up dragon…it's probably just some stupid wolf eating their stupid chickens…_

"Don't look so upset, Sakura-chan," advised Naruto, grinning. "Think of it as an adventure."

"I'd rather adventure my way back to sleeping in a real bed," she murmured. "Let's get this over with."

Why did this cavern have to be halfway up a mountain? Sakura could even see the tiny cluster of buildings from which they'd come, all lit up in the valley below.

"It's dark in here," came Naruto's echoing voice.

"You moron, wait for the one carrying the torch," she said, setting fire to the oiled cloth wrapped around a stick they'd brought for light.

The yellow flicker from the fire made shadows all over the inside of the cavern. Stalactites dripped water into puddles on the stone floor. Everything smelled like bat poop. The tunnel twisted and turned like a worm's path through dirt.

"This place is huge," said Naruto, his voice echoing off the walls. "I bet a big ol' dragon could totally live here. It's got plenty of room…"

Sakura ignored his babblings. _He's been watching too many fantasy movies,_ she thought. _We're supposed to be looking for whatever is stealing food from a farming community…_

Her foot banged against something that made a clattering noise as it skidded across the smooth rock. She knelt down to identify it. Naruto stared, the fire reflecting in his blue eyes.

"Is that a…a…_bone?!_" he whispered.

Sakura picked it up with two fingers and held it against the torchlight.

"Goat bone. Not human. Something's definitely living here. Might be a bear, judging by these teeth marks. Some kind of carnivore."

"A bear? Boring!"

"Keep your voice down. If it is a bear, you don't want it thinking we're invading its territory."

He pouted, disappointed about not getting to see a mythical creature.

"We should find some more evidence, otherwise those people will just think we pretended there's nothing there," she said, placing the bone back quietly. Even the tiniest noise was amplified in here, sending echoes ringing off the walls.

_How did it come to this?_ complained her Inner Self. _We're supposed to be looking for Sasuke…not clearing out a cave full of bears._

"Whoah…check it out…"

She raised the torch so the light shone into another gigantic tunnel. This one had a dead end, meaning there was nowhere else anything could go. They must have been pretty deep into the mountain by now, because there was no way to see the sunlight at the other end.

_If this light goes out, I'm going to scream,_ she thought irritably.

At the dead end, there were signs that a large animal had taken up residence. There were deep gouges in the stone floor from claws, and uprooted grasses from outside had been dragged into a corner for bedding. More tiny bones were scattered around, mostly farm animals. No human remains at all.

Sakura approached the pile of hay and grass while Naruto poked the deep scratch marks with his finger.

_That's strange,_ she thought, picking something out of the straw.

"Naruto! Come look at this!"

He squinted in the flickering torchlight. "What is it? Fur?"

She rubbed the pale hairs she'd found between two fingers.

"Feel it. It's soft. Wild animal pelts are meant to be coarse and rough. This feels like a domestic animal's fur, the kind that gets brushed every day."

"So it's somebody's dog or something?"

"No, no common dog could drag a whole goat up here for dismemberment. And besides, dogs are pack animals. One wouldn't just live here by itself."

Something sparkled underneath a pile of leftovers. Naruto instantly dove for it. Sakura was grateful, seeing as she wanted to avoid touching the stinky bones at all costs.

"Sakura-chan…what's this thing?" he asked, holding up something that glimmered in the fiery light.

She took the object, studying it.

"Um…this is going to sound crazy, but it looks like a…_scale_."

"A scale?"

"Yeah. Looks like a reptile. Maybe it was the last meal of whatever's eating all these animals…"

"Then what…" he trailed off.

"Don't ask me, I do—mmph!"

He had clamped his hand firmly over her mouth. She resisted the urge to demand an explanation when she saw his face. His eyes were wide, staring at something behind her. Neither of them moved. The only sound came from the crackling torch.

"What is it…?" she whispered, pushing his had off.

He pointed behind her, his mouth wide open.

Little by little, she turned around, not wanting to freak out whatever animal it was with any sudden movements.

"Duh…duh…duh…"

Naruto was babbling like a toddler after too much sugar. His voice got even squeakier than usual, almost a whistle-high pitch.

"_Dragon_!"

* * *

If Sakura wasn't so busy staring, she would've smacked Naruto for squealing so loudly. 

All those fairy tales of mythical creatures hadn't prepared either of them for this.

Before them stood a pale, gleaming creature Sakura had never imagined existed. Its white scales shined in the torch's blaze, throwing dots of reflected light onto the cavern walls like a disco ball. It had a mane of dark fur that ran down the length of its body, ending in a spiky tuft on its tail. It had furry bird-like feet ending in ivory claws, though its whole body was streamlined like a snake's. Its head was canine, with tiny, curled horns and jagged teeth. Teeth currently bared in a wolfish snarl.

"Naruto…don't move a muscle…" instructed Sakura, managing to get over her shock for a second.

He didn't need to be told. He was already frozen.

Sakura's eyes searched for a way to get out of the cave with minimal damage. The creature was blocking the only tunnel leading out, and there was only rock surrounding them. Not the best of circumstances.

_If only we knew how close to reality those old stories were,_ she thought. _Then we could tell if it's intelligent or not…_

"Um…hello?" she managed to squeak out. Naruto stared at her like she was insane.

"Sakura-chan, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm very sorry we trespassed here, so we'll just be going now," she said, fake-smiling through her own nervousness. _Please let this work…_

The dragon, still growling at them, completely ignored her. Not a good sign.

Naruto, being as naïve as ever, tried talking to it.

"Hey, we're real sorry about being here, but…"

"Naruto!" Sakura shushed. He wasn't listening.

"These people down in the town are real mad that you're taking their food, and asked us to come all the way up here to ask that you find some other animals to eat. That's all."

Sakura smacked her hand to her forehead. "You idiot, is it didn't hear me, what makes you think it'll hear y-"

She stopped suddenly. The dragon was walking towards her, its ivory claws clacking on the stone floor. She held her breath, her heart beating in her ears. It ambled right by her, its lithe body rippling like a snake's. She turned around silently, and followed its path back to the pile of grass and straw.

It nosed some of the heap out of the way, then bit down on something. It trotted back to Sakura, much to her amazement. Something shiny fell from its pristine teeth, and clinked as it hit the stone.

Sakura paled, her eyes wide. With a shaking hand, she scooped up the object, her heart thundering in her chest.

The chain was broken, and covered with mud. But she knew it was real when it drifted toward her neck.

It was Sasuke's white pendant.

* * *

Wooo! Ah, how i do lub suspense...

Thanks you, wonderful people who reviewed! (And a note from the last chapter: Ametrium is an actual rock, but I just stole the name cos I couldn't think of something convincing...eh-heh...)

A-RIGHT, you scallywags. I imagined the dragon from Spirited Away when I wrote this (if you haven't seen that movie, I pity you.) just go with that, cos I suck at flowery descriptions.


	12. Pursuit

**Chapter 12: Pursuit

* * *

**

"Sakura-chan…is that…" Naruto whispered. He knew what that was and where it had come from. He was the only one who did.

Sakura had broken down after Sasuke left and told him about "them," something she hoped wouldn't come back to haunt her later. Fortunately, he had reacted in a mature manner, very unusual for him. She had half-expected him to run around in circles screaming about it being the apocalypse, forcing her to smack him over the head as she always had. God forbid, he might actually grow up one of these days.

"…Yes…it is..." she raised her head to stare at the dragon. It stared back, its slit-pupil eyes unblinking.

"Can you…show me where you found this please?" she asked hopefully.

It closed its eyes and shook its head slowly from side to side. Sakura and Naruto stared.

_So it DOES understand human speech._

"Hey, come on!" Naruto complained, loudly enough to make Sakura flinch. "We're trying to find the guy that belonged to, give us a break here!"

The dragon eyed him like a piece of rotting meat. Had Sakura been standing closer to Naruto, she would have whacked him upside the head.

"Idiot! Show some respect!" she snapped at him. Turning back to the dragon, she blurted something about being extremely sorry for invading its territory so we'll just be on our way then ok bye. She proceeded to grab Naruto and haul him out through the tunnel like a sack of potatoes, his protests of her actions echoing off the walls over and over.

"Oi! Sakura-chan, what do you think you're doing?! We almost had a lead there! That was your thing from Sas-"

He noticed her murderous glare directed at him and stopped talking. She would explain everything the moment they were out of earshot of the cave. Message received.

* * *

"Hey, that kinda hurt you know. Next time you could just tell me instead of dragging me halfway down a mountain."

"Eh, stop complaining."

Sakura finished healing Naruto's last bruise and went back to crouching behind a bush. There wasn't much shrubbery growing on the side of a mountain, but it was a rather good place to hide because of the sheltering, though it wasn't very comfortable.

"How long have we been waiting here?" he semi-whispered, scratching his head.

"I don't know, ok? Just deal with it."

Sakura didn't know anything at all about dragons. But they had been sitting at this same spot for the whole day, watching the cave's entrance. Sakura had told Naruto that an animal that size would need to go out and hunt for food sometime, so all they had to do was wait. Now however, she wasn't so sure.

What if it was like a snake, and took hours or even days to digest what it had last eaten? There was no way of knowing. They could be setting themselves up for a long and painful wait for its emergence. It was just beginning to turn dark again, maybe dragons were nocturnal?

She fiddled with the colorless piece of jewelry in her hand, the whole reason they were staying out here in the first place. No doubt it was Sasuke's. But how did it end up here? He wouldn't have just left it somewhere, not something this valuable. What if he hadn't? What if something had happened to him? What if it was there because he was…?

She felt a hand on her shoulder before she could finish that thought.

"Sakura-chan, it's ok. We're gonna find Sasuke. Don't you worry." Naruto grinned to reassure her. "And the minute we do, I'm going to kill that worthless emo! I mean, how dare he make you get all worried over him?! It's not right!"

She giggled at his little rant. "Thanks, Naruto. You always know how to make me feel better."

"Yeah, I know. Now, to security camera duty!"

They both returned to scanning the cave entrance for any activity. Sakura's mind eventually started wandering again, wondering where Sasuke was and what he was doing right now. She'd give anything to be with him right now instead of here.

Anything…

* * *

_Sakura was alone, surrounded by a thick fog. It obscured everything, she could only feel the ground she was standing on. It was like when Zabuza used the Hidden Mist village technique in the Land of Waves. She could barely see her own hand in front of her face, let alone anything else._

_But something echoed through the watery silence. The sound of slow, cautious footsteps came from directly ahead. A dark shape slowly materialized, though the mist was so thick Sakura couldn't tell who or what it was, until-_

_"S-Sakura?"_

_Even in pitch darkness, even if here had been a million other sounds going on at once, she would have known that deep, familiar voice._

_She squinted in a desperate attempt to see through the fog._ _"Sasuke-kun…?" Her tone was a hopeful squeak._

_"Sakura! It IS you!" Before she could react, she felt powerful arms wrap around her body. The dark shape embraced her, while a scent she remembered from years ago floated through the fog. It was him._

_"Sasuke-kun…" she managed to whisper, before burying her face in his chest. An unseen hand gently stroked her head, provoking her held-back tears to come streaming down like a waterfall._

_"Oh, Sakura…I can't believe it…it's really you…" said Sasuke._

_"Sasuke, I missed you so much…" She felt his warm breath on the back of her neck._

_"Sakura, me too…every day without you was like a day when there was no sunlight…I always thought about you, always worried about you…but you're safe and happy, and that's all that matters to me…"_

_"No," she answered. "Safe yes, but not happy. Not without you."_

_He lifted her face to his. Even with the mist swirling around them, she could just see his special smile, the one he reserved only for her. The smile that had promised to come back to her someday, and finally had._

_"You know…no matter where I went, every time I saw a cherry blossom tree, it reminded me of you, because you're so much alike…" he mumbled, just loudly enough for her to hear._

_Sakura could tell he was blushing, though she couldn't really see his face through the mist. It was, however, obvious in his voice._

_"You're both so beautiful and serene…and you both bring so much happiness to those blessed enough to know you…"_

_He rested his lips on her forehead for just a second, then continued._

_"And I'm probably the luckiest of them all, because I've got you, my own cherry blossom…" he whispered and, his eyes closed, gave her the "I've come back" kiss she'd waited for ever since he had disappeared from the Leaf village._

_Sakura tilted her head back, still squeezing out tears. Sasuke was still alive. And he still missed her. Nothing had changed between them at all._

_When she opened her eyes again, the mist was disappearing. Sunshine from above filtered through, falling on the two of them._

_Sasuke smiled at her. He had changed over the past few years. He was now quite a bit taller than Sakura, and had grown more…muscled… (She just managed to hold back a not-so-tiny nosebleed.) But his eyes hadn't changed at all. Those were still the same sparkling onyx she remembered from the moody Genin she had fallen in love with so long ago._

_She let him kiss her again, her hands running through his (unusually soft) spiky black hair._

_When they separated, she lowered her head and leaned against him. She spent the next few blissful minutes listening to his heartbeat, a sound more soothing to her than any music in the world._

_"Heh…look at that," she murmured out loud. Their pendants had joined together without their noticing, his white and her black, forming the yin-and-yang shape once more._

_Wait…he was wearing his half? Then how did the dragon get-_

_All the colors suddenly began fading and bleeding into each other. Sakura could feel herself slipping out of her dream world. That memory had triggered her awakening._

_"Go on," said Sasuke, smiling halfheartedly. "I'll see you again in the real world. I promise." He let go of her hand and began disappearing with everything else. His pendant vanished as well, leaving hers to drop back down to her neck._

_"Sasuke-kun…" she said quietly, not wanting this dream to end. "Sasuke-kun…"_

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Wake up already!"

Naruto shook his teammate's shoulder once more, making her eyes flutter open.

"You fell asleep. Let's go, it already started moving."

Sakura snapped awake and peered out at the cave's entrance. It was completely dark now, but she could just see the outline of a large snaky creature crawling down from the cave's mouth. _Finally._

"Watch for loose pebbles. Even the tiniest noise could let it know we're here," she warned.

"Gotcha."

They both began following the mythical animal down and around the small mountain, using every stealth trick they had to remain undetected. Between every large boulder was a sea of dry grass and gravel. There was just a tiny sliver of moon in the sky that night, making it even more difficult to see the terrain. Tomorrow night would be a new moon, meaning complete darkness. A severe disadvantage in their case.

* * *

_Where's this thing going?_ thought Naruto, clambering silently over a fallen tree closer to the bottom. They had been following the dragon over several miles in the past few hours. For a giant lizard-thingy, it sure could move.

Sakura had been acting weird ever since they'd received that necklace. Naruto knew Sasuke meant the entire universe to her, so she'd do anything to find him. And if this was a trail they could follow, they were going to stay on it no matter what.

Overhead, dark clouds obscured most of the night's stars. It probably meant rain tomorrow. As if they didn't have enough problems already.

They must have been miles away from the mountain cave by now. Forest and mountainside had given way to a shallow gorge, probably a mining area. Sharp slabs of rock stuck out at random angles, throwing faint shadows onto the flat areas that lined the jagged gap. Naruto could just see the dragon's scales twinkle as it vanished down into the darkness. The clink of its claws on stone resounded from the bottom, meaning it wasn't too deep to escape from in a hurry if need be.

Sakura motioned to him. They were following its trail into the chasm.

_We're miles away from that cave. How the heck is it supposed to get back before sunrise? How the heck are WE supposed to get back before sunrise?_

He positioned himself behind an uneven chunk of stone, just out of reach of the pale light that had begun streaming down from above. The sun was rising.

He could see the dragon clearly from here. It had stopped in the middle of the stone chasm floor, its head slowly weaving from side to side like a cobra's. It wasn't tensed at all, though it was out in the open. The area had no places to hide, which would normally make an animal nervous, even a predator. But the dragon just stood there.

_Almost as if it was hypnotized, or something…_

Wait. Didn't some animals use rhythmic movements to incapacitate their prey before striking? Naruto glanced at Sakura, who was behind a rock adjacent to his. She was squinting at the dark space in front of the stationary animal. Naruto tried to find out what she was looking for.

Something moved in front of the dragon. The shadow from the canyon walls shifted. Something was there. Naruto gripped a kunai knife in his hand. Whatever it was, it had something to do with the dragon that would lead them to Sasuke.

A human shape appeared from the darkness. His hand held a crystal ball on a thread, letting it wave back and forth like a pendulum. That was what was hypnotizing the dragon.

He looked up, and his slit-pupil eyes met with Naruto's. The fox vessel froze.

"Your move, Konoha shinobi," said Orochimaru.

* * *

Meep! It's Oro! What will happen next? (dragons rule, woot!) Once again, expect angst. And LOTS of it!


	13. Broken Hearts, An Extinguished Flame

**Chapter thirteen: Broken Hearts, An Extinguished Flame **

* * *

Sakura heard the sentence just as well as Naruto had, taking only a split second too long to react.

"Naruto! Move!" she shouted, shooting several feet into the air.

Her words were wasted. While they had been watching the scene in front of the rocks, Orochimaru had set a trap ninjutsu. The solid floor had become like quicksand. The more unfortunate Naruto was already up to his knees in the liquid stone. He tried forming a hand sign for his clone jutsu, but a wad of stone erupted from the floor. It clasped around his hands and hardened, preventing any movement or sign-weaving. He grunted and tried to smash it, but couldn't make a crack in the casing.

Sakura felt something wrap around her foot, a thin tentacle of stone had appeared from below. A second later she was thrown against the gorge wall, the rock melting together over her arms and legs. In a few moments she couldn't move anything but her head, completely enclosed in a cocoon of stone.

Her shout to Naruto had made some effect, however. The dragon shook its head rapidly, the hypnosis wearing off. It blinked several times, looking around in a disoriented fashion. Orochimaru merely glanced at it, and the stone around its clawed feet flowed together, rendering it immobile.

Sakura tried to keep from panicking. She didn't have a backup plan for an encounter with a Sanin. This guy was a psychopath, he enjoyed watching people suffer. If he got to any of them, they'd be killed as agonizingly slowly as virtually possible.

"How interesting. All three trapped like rats. I hope you at least give me some entertainment before you die."

_Don't panic…don't panic, whatever you do don't panic…_ her Inner Self ordered.

"Shut your mouth, you freak!" shouted Naruto, attempting to free his hands. However, his fear showed in his wavering voice.

"Naruto! Don't encourage him!" Sakura tried to think of a way out of their situation. Important though the dragon might be, it wouldn't help if they all ended up dead.

_If the ANBU couldn't take this guy down, what chance do we have?_

She shook her head, a difficult task when encased in rock. _No…I can't think like that. If we can come out alive of more A-ranked missions than many Jounin have ever dreamed of, we can pull out of this one._

She glanced at the now-angry dragon, the whole reason they had come here. It was growling at Orochimaru, its ears flattened against its head like a cat's. It didn't like what was going on either.

"And how do _you_ plan on stopping me?" the Sanin said to the snarling animal. "You don't even remember who they are."

_Oh-kay…he's talking to it…and it's answering back?_ thought Sakura, confused. _Wait…it doesn't remember us? But we've never seen this thing before. What's he talking about? I think we'd remember seeing something like this before now._

"Oh, you've met before," said Orochimaru, smirking at her.

_He can read my thoughts?!_

"You in particular, girl. It's really such a pity you can't see what's right in front of your face."

"What's he babbling about, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto, as confused as she was.

"Stupid fox-child. You force everything to be so blunt." Orochimaru sneered at him, and turned to the dragon. He let the crystal sphere from the hypnotism fall from his hand. It shattered into a thousand tiny fragments on the ground.

"Release."

* * *

"What are you…" started Sakura, before noticing something strange. The dragon had stopped moving. It wasn't blinking or breathing at all for that matter. It just stood where it was, the fur on its back standing straight up like a cat's.

An explosion of light seared her eyes. She squeezed them shut, though the blazing brightness still made tears appear. She kept them shut for several seconds after the light faded, the burning still there.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, look!" squeaked Naruto.

Squinting, she cracked open one eye, her vision blurry from the tears.

Both her eyes opened wide when her vision cleared.

Where the dragon had been standing, was something else. Instead of claws trapped in rock, there were hands and feet. Someone was kneeling in the dragon's place, his head bowed. Giant black wings unfolded threateningly from his back. Sakura's heart nearly stopped when black eyes with Sharingan irises glanced her way.

"Sasuke-kun?" she whispered.

His eyes narrowed at her, he grimaced, showing razor-sharp fangs. The same fangs that the dragon had shown her. She stared at him, then at Orochimaru. The Sanin was reason Sasuke had left the village in the first place. He obviously had something to do with this as well.

"Sasuke-kun!" she shouted.

"It's no use, stupid girl," stated Orochimaru. "He's been in that form too long. It's eaten away at his mind and soul. He doesn't remember how to speak, or recognize people. He doesn't even remember he was human. The only feelings in his head are hunger, pain, and bloodlust."

"No…" murmured Sakura, her tears overflowing. _It's not true…he's lying, Sasuke-kun wouldn't forget us…he wouldn't forget me…_

Demon-Sasuke glared at Orochimaru, and wrenched his hands out of the rock. The melted stone crumbled under his strength.

"Such power," admired the Sanin, watching him lick a cut on his finger from a particularly sharp fragment of rock. The wound stopped bleeding almost instantly.

"What did you do to Sasuke?!" demanded Naruto. "You changed him into a dragon! What's up with that?!"

"He did that to himself. I merely supplied the release jutsu."

Sakura heard all of this, though she wasn't really listening. This Demon-Sasuke looked like an older version of the one that had saved her from the cliff and sinking ship all those years ago. Same eyes, same wings, same pale hair…but he was different somehow. Was the Sanin really lying about his memory?

She had to do something. Using a small amount of her chakra, she focused her energy at an area of the rock prison with her thumb. She twisted it as much as she could, boring a tiny hole in the stone. She'd need some momentum to be able to smash her way out of this. It was a start.

"Sasuke! Do something, you can take this guy out!" shouted Naruto. His voice went unnoticed. Demon-Sasuke glared at the snake Sanin, his wings spread and fangs bared. He was ready for a fight.

Orochimaru smirked at him and said, "Come on, then."

A gust of wind whipped Sakura's hair around her face as Demon-Sasuke rose several feet into the air.

The next few seconds happened in slow motion.

Demon-Sasuke flew at Orochimaru, aiming for his throat. The Sanin, remaining unfazed, blasted him to the ground with a wall of chakra. Demon-Sasuke skidded onto the floor next to Sakura's prison, a bloody gash across his chest.

"Sasuke-kun!" she screamed. Using the enormous strength Tsunade had given her, she smashed her fist into the indent in the stone she'd spent the past few minutes making. A quarter of the shell shattered, leaving a gap big enough for her to escape from.

_Only a little chakra left…but it should be enough,_ she thought, sending healing energy into her right palm. She stumbled over to Demon-Sasuke, who had made it to his feet, and held her glowing hand up to his wound.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed her hand and held it high above her head, his claws digging into her skin. He snarled at her, showing his teeth.

"Sasuke-kun…please…it's me…" she said softly. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Sakura-chan!" shouted Naruto, believing she was in serious danger.

"Don't you remember Konoha, or Naruto and Kakashi-sensei?" she continued.

He didn't answer. Sakura couldn't summon any more of her chakra, she was almost completely drained. She let the green glow fade from her hand. The protection gone, several drops of blood fell from where his claws pierced her skin.

Sakura noticed his eyes follow the blood as it oozed from the cuts. Why was he watching it so intently?

Naruto worked feverishly to free his hands from the stone. Demon-Sasuke didn't remember anything, let alone that Sasuke once loved Sakura. There was no telling what he'd do to her.

He watched as Sakura said something to him, tears rolling down her face. He showed no sign of comprehension whatsoever. That Orochimaru hadn't been lying after all. That was a first.

Sakura stopped talking and suddenly gained a determined look. Did she have a plan now?

Using her free hand, she reached up and wiped some of the blood from her other hand onto her finger, noticing how his eyes followed the bloody digit. What she failed to notice was the single drop of crimson liquid that slid off of her knuckle, splashing onto the flushed skin of her throat.

Demon-Sasuke sniffed her throat, releasing her hand as the scent caught his attention. Sakura, running out of energy, formed several hand signs painfully slowly.

_I'm running on fumes…_ she thought. _This'd better work…_

Naruto, seeing what was about to happen, shouted a warning to her. She couldn't react in time.

Demon-Sasuke, spurred on by the sight and smell of fresh blood, grabbed her by the shoulders. Sakura's eyes opened wide for just a moment, before he sank his teeth into her neck.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura could hear Naruto's voice, though it sounded so far away. She managed to finish the final hand sign, though every motion was becoming more difficult. Placing her palm on Demon-Sasuke's forehead, she murmured, "Seal."

He jerked his head back from her, his eyes wide. Where her hand touched him, a white glow began spreading across his skin. Sakura felt as though every last drop of energy she possessed had been exhausted. Her reserves were completely depleted.

Sha felt a drop of something cool splash against her face. Then another, and another. She wearily glanced up, noticing the black clouds that covered the sky. Rain. There had been clouds earlier. When had that been? Just a few hours ago…

When she lowered her head with closed eyes, a hand touched her face. A calloused, human hand. Her eyes opened slowly. A pale face with dark eyes greeted her vision. The rain had drenched his normally spiky hair down into a black mess, but she knew that face. She had seen it for the first time in years in her dream.

"Sasuke…kun…" she mumbled weakly, before collapsing to her knees. She had used up too much energy in that sealing. But it had worked.

Sasuke lowered Sakura onto the ground, his heart thundering in his chest. He took her non-wounded hand and felt for her pulse. It was shockingly slow.

Raindrops splashed on the rock, mixing with the stream of blood coming from the wounds on her neck. The wounds _he_ had made.

She couldn't heal herself, she had used too much chakra sealing his curse. In a daze, he placed his other hand over the gashes in an attempt to stop the flow of blood.

Her eyes opened slowly, as if doing so took more energy than climbing a mountain. He was shaken to see how dull they were. Her normally sparkling green eyes were almost gray.

"Sakura…" he managed to rasp. He hadn't used his voice in almost a year and a half. But it was still there, if barely.

She smiled weakly. "Sasuke-kun…you remember me…" She coughed, blood trickling from her mouth.

Sasuke couldn't feel his own tears because of the rain. "Sakura, why did you do that? Why?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I wanted you to be free…not a slave to something you didn't deserve…"

Her feeble smile broke his heart in two. Hands shaking, he brushed some wet hair out of her face. She was sickeningly pale now, and barely able to breathe. She had lost too much blood.

"Sakura…Sakura, what do I do? I don't know any medical jutsu…please, answer me…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"It's ok, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

She was fading fast. Too fast. Sasuke gripped her hand, shouting frantically.

"No…no, Sakura…don't go! Don't go!"

"Sasuke…kun…" she said, so quietly he could barely hear her voice over the sound of falling rain.

"I love you," she told him, and closed her eyes. The raindrops landing on her face didn't disturb her peaceful expression.

He felt her heartbeat in her wrist. It thumped out a final _lub-dub_, and ceased.

"Sakura!" he screamed, as if it would start her heart up again. She didn't answer.

She was dead.

* * *

OH DEAR GOD, THE ANGST!! WILL IT EVER END?!


	14. Chains Of Fate

**Chapter fourteen: Chains Of Fate

* * *

**

_A seven-year old girl with pink hair and green eyes had always smiled at him from the seat in front of his in the Academy. She was always smiling even though one of her front teeth was missing, giving her a jack-o-lantern grin. Even when the other girls teased her mercilessly about her large forehead, she always had a smile for her loved ones. Nothing could break her spirit. In that, she was stronger than any of them. Invincible. Even when he had pretended to not notice her, she always smiled for him…_

_Twelve-year old Sakura had been ecstatic the day they had been put on the same team as Genin. She had been ignorant and naïve back then, pretending Naruto didn't exist and focusing on her crush. She made that mistake several times, but eventually learned from it. She learned nobody deserved to be excluded for any reason. Without knowing it, he had learned that from her. He had stopped acting like she didn't matter, and had even fallen in love with her. It went against every law of shinobi to show your emotions. And the funny thing was, he didn't care. He didn't care that Naruto would demand an explanation as to why he would offer to walk Sakura home. He didn't care that Kakashi would look at him oddly after catching him "reading" over her shoulder on more than one occasion. Their teacher had probably figured it out from the start, how he was willing to do anything for her…_

_She had cried her eyes out the night he had left Konoha. The only person who had ever stolen his heart, and he had been forced to leave her. There were so many things he had planned on telling her, what he'd done while away from Konoha. He had never told her about seeing her in a dream while under the curse…He had never told her how he had always thought of her, and how much he looked forward to the long journey back to Konoha he'd walk every step of the way with her by his side…In that dream they had been together, as if somehow they knew it was to be for the last time…_

The visions faded away, leaving Sasuke with only cruel reality. Sakura's pale face didn't move at all, several stray raindrops trailing down her cheeks like tears.

_No…no, she can't be gone…not Sakura…not now…there's still so much we haven't done…so much I haven't told her…not now…_ his mind replayed again and again. This wasn't meant to happen…they were supposed to go back to the village, they were supposed to have a happily-ever-after life, she was supposed to be his forever, they were meant to do so much, she couldn't be gone, not now…

He lowered her lifeless hand to the ground, instead embracing the body of the only girl he had ever cared for. She was so cold, as if all her warmth had been leeched out of her. With her last breath, she had said she loved him. That not only broke his heart, it took each fragment and stabbed it repeatedly with a white-hot knife.

He let his tears fall, mingling with blood and rainwater. His eyes stung, even as he wiped at them with the back of his hand. She had always cried for him. No matter what he had done, she had always had the strength to let her tears fall. She had given him that power, revealed to him that emotions can't be crushed. And she had died showing him that, her love for him had overcome her will to stay alive. She had given up everything to see him as he was meant to be, one last time.

"If you had obtained more control over that curse, she might have lived."

Orochimaru's cold voice snapped Sasuke back to the real world. The snake-ninja was still alive. And smirking at his display of emotion.

"You knew using the final form three times meant it would become permanent, leaving you helpless. How that stupid girl learned a forbidden sealing jutsu, I'll never know…Perhaps your Hokage taught it to her…"

Sasuke felt his anger rise up. It brought back his awareness, shoving energy into his shock-frozen body. Nobody called his Sakura a "stupid girl."

"Because of your ignorance, she's dead," sneered Orochimaru.

The stinging in Sasuke's eyes had blossomed into a pulsating blaze. It burned like a fire, furious and all-consuming. Not since the second time he had used the final stage of the curse had he felt such searing torture. He pressed the back of one hand against his eye and groaned quietly.

"Murderer," hissed the Sanin.

Carefully laying Sakura's body on the stone floor, Sasuke silently got to his feet, giving no sign of his pain. He turned to face Orochimaru, forcing his burning eyes open. His vision was blurry, but he managed to meet the snake Sanin's wide eyes.

Wait…that expression…

The all-powerful S-ranked criminal was showing _fear_?

"You…how…" the Sanin muttered, still staring. His aura of confidence was gone.

"No curse of yours can save you now," stated Sasuke. The pain in his eyes was suddenly gone, replaced by a powerful surge of energy.

The Sanin was locked into his gaze. Sasuke channeled his newfound power at the barely-human creature that had given him so much misery.

He glared, and spoke in a clear voice.

"_Tsukuyomi._"

* * *

_Black earth, and a red sky. Just like when his brother had tortured him using the same jutsu. Everything was reverse-black and white. This entire universe had the atmosphere of death and suffering._

_Sasuke stood before the Sanin, gripping a katana blade. Orochimaru, his victim, was chained to a stone tablet. Without knowing his psychological weaknesses, Sasuke would have to use the standard form of inflicting pain. Luckily, the Tsukuyomi realm allowed anything, only limited by the caster's imagination._

_"For the next three days," said the Uchiha, making his voice echo throughout the bizarre dimension, "you will feel the most unbearable agony known to man. You will pay for every moment of her life you stole from her."_

_Through his fear, the Sanin managed to smirk. "And what will killing me prove, boy?"_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "All my life I have been an avenger. I gave it up once, realizing it was a futile path. But now, I have another death to pay back for."_

_Crunch._

_His blade pierced flesh. The deep wound sealed itself, as he knew it would. He sliced his sword forward again and again, letting his anger out on a living voodoo doll. His victim's cries fell on deaf ears. As Sasuke let out his fury, he also punished himself._

_Sakura…this is for you…_

* * *

Naruto watched an unimaginable scene unfold before his eyes. Sasuke, turned back to normal by Sakura's jutsu, had stared at the Sanin with the third form of the Sharingan. A second later, his opponent had crumpled to the floor. Just like when Itachi had used the Mangekyou Sharingan's power on Sasuke.

_Your closest friend must die by your hand, in order to receive it…_

Sasuke began walking slowly toward the Sanin. In his hand he clenched a kunai knife, taken from Sakura's corpse. The rain had finally let up, but had left shimmering puddles on the smooth stone. He nonchalantly stopped before Orochimaru's huddled form, his face hidden.

Naruto tried to shout something as he watched his teammate raise the weapon high above his head. But he couldn't move at all. He could only watch in shock as Sasuke emotionlessly drove the knife downwards.

For a split second, there was silence. Naruto gaped disbelievingly as what Sasuke had just done. Only the pins-and-needles feeling in his feet brought back his alertness.

"Sasuke…" he mumbled, staring wide-eyed as his teammate stood back up, leaving the bloody kunai embedded in its target. Sasuke turned to face him, and Naruto saw in his expression as much pain and torment as he had seen in himself, and even Gaara. Only now, all that was surpassed by an overwhelming sadness. He must have had that exact look in his eyes when his family had died…

The stone around Naruto's hands cracked, then collapsed into dust. Pulling his feet out of the rock, he glanced at what had once been one of the Legendary Three Sanin. Without a flow of chakra to sustain it, the rock had given way. The snake-ninja really was dead.

_Dead…_

* * *

_"Ohayo, Naruto!" Sakura squealed, smiling at her teammate. She skipped happily over to where Naruto was sitting on an overturned log. Kakashi had told them to meet up that day at a forest area with a little river running through it. The sound of the water and birds in the trees was strangely relaxing._

_"Hey, Sakura-chan. Where's Emo Boy?" asked Naruto, glancing around for their usual storm-cloud of gloom._

_"Don't you call him that Naruto, it's not nice. And I don't know, I haven't seen him all day…Oh, by the way, how are things going with you and your girlfriend?"_

_"S-Sakura-chan! She-she's not really my girlfriend, I mean…"_

_"You're blushing, Naruto!"_

_"Stop l-laughing! It's n-not funny!"_

_"Idiot. If you made out with her on Valentine's Day, you're pretty much doomed."_

_Sakura squeaked at Sasuke's voice, even though she was by now more than used to it. It wasn't her fault, even if he was standing __right behind her…_

_"Shut up, Emo Boy! And what about you?! You did squat the whole time you were at that stupid dance."_

_"'Least I didn't make myself look like an idiot in front of everyone."_

_"All right you two, that's enough," interrupted Sakura. Without another word, she sat down, pulled off her sandals and stuck her feet in the running water._

_Naruto pouted. Sakura always had the last word in their arguments. He never really got to the shouting point with his teammates, it was just…_

_It was just Sasuke was sitting dangerously close to Sakura on the river bank with his feet in the water next to hers…_

_"Eh?! What are you doing, Sasuke?!" he demanded. The Uchiha glared at him with narrowed eyes._

_"Whatever I feel like. Duh."_

_"Ok, who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?! The real Sasuke would never allow Sakura-chan within a five-meter radius of himself!"_

_"Shut up. You're too high-pitched," said Sasuke, turning back to stare at the opposite side of the river. Naruto spluttered something about abductions for a few minutes, but eventually quieted._

_Without Naruto's falsetto squeak to bother him, Sasuke's mind could wander all it wanted. Unfortunately the idiot wasn't going to leave anytime soon, meaning he'd have to keep from blushing again. Not an easy task, considering he was invading Sakura's personal space. He couldn't help it. Her personal space was so…inviting._

_She glanced at him, her big jade eyes meeting his. She smiled childishly, and poked his foot with hers underwater. He subtly tilted his head toward Naruto, a warning sign. She pretended to sulk for a moment, but then went back to smiling. Not to mention playing with his heart on the end of a thinly woven string._

_Her toe touched his foot again. She traced a heart shape in the water above his toes, her green nail polish glittering like fish scales under the water. He grinned a little, despite himself._

_"So…you're going to that sleepover tonight?" he asked casually._

_"Yeah…it's for someone's birthday. I forget who. To use Shikamaru's expression, it's gonna be a total drag."_

_"Hm," he mumbled, enduring further foot-poking from the pink kunoichi._

_"My my, playing footsie are we? Spring truly is the time of first love."_

_"Kakashi-sensei!" squealed a blushing Sakura, splashing water at the behind-schedule Jounin. "You have such a distorted mind!"_

_Kakashi merely sighed and muttered something about women being difficult to understand. Sasuke had gone back to staring at a tree on the other side of the stream once more._

_Heh, Kakashi…if only you knew…_

* * *

The flashback ended. Sasuke noticed his vision had gone strangely fuzzy. He felt like he was viewing these events from a third-person perspective. His old team was now together again, but it wasn't the joyful reunion he had imagined. There was Naruto, his face in his hands, sobbing hysterically. There was Sakura, lying peacefully motionless. She almost looked like she was asleep.

And then there was him. Strangely enough, Sasuke could see himself kneeling on the wet stone, staring at his hands, covered in blood and soaking wet. He looked like a shell of the Sasuke that had once lived in Konoha.

His brain receptors sluggishly detected movement. Something touched the side of his head, and the next thing he knew he was laying on his stomach. He heard Naruto's voice shouting something, though it sounded far-off and faded. His arms were being held against his back, though he made no movement to free them. A hand pressed something that emitted a sickly sweet scent against his face. Chloroform.

He managed to bring his eyes upwards, hazily discerning a Konoha ANBU mask above him. Before succumbing to the darkness that enveloped his mind, he heard a sentence strangely clearly above Naruto's muffled shouts.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you are under arrest."

* * *

Glah! I'm drowning in angst! But reviews make it all worthwile. Smileys!


	15. Journey To Paradise

**Chapter fifteen: Journey To Paradise **

* * *

"We can only give you ten minutes. And even that's stretching it by a long shot."

"I know."

"I had to call in practically every favor I had to get you here."

"I know. I appreciate it, Shizune-san."

Tsunade's assistant sighed sadly, remembering the Genin Naruto who would never stop chattering away. Now, he hardly spoke to anyone at all ever since his team had been brought back by a patrolling ANBU squad yesterday morning. Everyone in the village had been in a state of shock to hear about Sakura. Nobody really said much since then, but it had always been Naruto's habit to speak when there was silence…

Metal clinking against metal, she lifted her enormous ring of keys. Being the Hokage's assistant, she had something for just about every lock in Konoha.

Including a maximum-security prison cell.

Working through the many intricate locks that held the door closed, she murmured to Naruto.

"I'm afraid it hasn't gotten any better. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep…nothing."

Naruto nodded. "I know. I'll talk to him."

Shizune lowered her keys, instead pressing her hands to the metal door. The final lock involved sensing chakra signatures. Very few could release it.

The door, though it was nearly seven hundred pounds of metal, opened. Its hinges needed oil, it creaked and groaned as it moved.

"Go ahead. I'll let you in from the other room."

Naruto walked past the entrance into a small room with another, less heavily guarded door. A bare bulb clicked on overhead. Naruto tried to prevent the claustrophobia from getting to him when the door behind him was pulled shut, with more squeaking than a room full of mice.

After what seemed like a panic-suppressing eternity, there was a small clicking sound. The second door had been unlocked from Shizune's control room. Glancing once at the security camera that followed his every movement, Naruto pushed open the door entered the chamber before him.

The room was about the size of an average bedroom. The walls, ceiling and floor were starched white. The room was bare, devoid of any furniture, but for a small mass huddled in one corner. He gave no sign of noticing Naruto had appeared.

"Oi, Sasuke. You asleep?"

Naruto couldn't stand to see his old teammate in this state. Because of safety and security precautions, Tsunade had injected his arms with a paralyzing fluid, turning everything below his elbows a deep purple. His hands hung uselessly at his sides now.

The silver tracking bracelet around his ankle glittered when the light from the other room's bulb cam streaming in. There were only dim fluorescent bulbs in this room, to prevent anyone with Nara-like shadow-possessing capabilities from overtaking their guards.

"Sasuke," said Naruto, crouching next to his teammate. "Sasuke."

He didn't respond. The Uchiha merely sat where he was, unblinking, unmoving. His half-closed eyes stared at the wall in front of him, but were glassy and empty, as if he was watching something far off in the distance. He had been acting like a statue ever since he had been knocked out by the ANBU squad that had picked them up. The medics had thought he was in a coma at first, but had diagnosed him as suffering from some form of critically severe depression. Most obvious decision on the face of the planet.

Naruto shook his friend gently by the shoulder. "Sasuke. Wake up. Come back."

Sasuke's eyes shifted slowly towards him without a word. He was looking directly at Naruto, but didn't really seem to see him. According to Shizune, he even slept with his eyes only half-closed now.

"Sasuke, I brought 'cha something."

Silence.

Naruto dangled something in front of his teammate's blank face.

"Look. Remember this? You gave the other half to…"

Naruto couldn't finish the sentence. Without another word, he hung the white necklace around his friend's neck for him. Sasuke's eyes gradually lowered, returning to gazing vacantly at the air in front of him. After a few seconds they closed completely.

Naruto almost got up to leave when he heard, incredibly faintly, "Thank you."

He turned to his teammate again. "So you can talk."

After several seconds of silence, there were a few more words.

"They said I'm going to die."

Naruto flinched, and looked away. That was the main reason he had come. After an uncomfortable silence, he managed to meet Sasuke's dead-looking eyes again.

"Sasuke, I…" he tried to speak, but couldn't continue. He couldn't say what they were both thinking.

Naruto's best friend had been charged with the murder of Sakura Haruno.

Despite uncountable protests by Naruto and all of the old Rookie Nine, the decision was final. The ANBU had only arrived at their location in time to watch Sasuke execute Orochimaru. That, along with his DNA found in Sakura's neck wounds, gave them an unshakable conviction that he had killed her as frostily as he had taken out the Sanin.

And the penalty for the slaughter of a village's shinobi was death.

A sharp buzz pierced Naruto's ear. He slapped a hand over the tiny microphone Shizune had insisted on him wearing.

"Time's up," her voice crackled over a wave of static.

Sasuke hadn't noticed any of this at all.

"Sasuke…I have to go…I'm not really supposed to be in here anyway…like the time we broke into ol' Tsunade-sama's office for a joke. Remember that?" he asked, trying to get his comatose friend to smile. "We accidentally broke about six hundred glass things by accident and she never found where we hid the pieces…"

Sasuke didn't react. Naruto sighed deeply, and stood up.

"I promise," he said to motionless shinobi. "I won't let you go off and meet your maker without a fight."

As he closed the door to the tiny room behind him, Naruto heard a single, wavering sentence issue from its only occupant.

"I wish I could see her…in heaven."

* * *

_Two worlds colliding. Heaven and the underworld. Floating light and sinking darkness._

_Sasuke gazed up at the light overhead. There were people up there, hovering above the shield between there and where he stood. He could see them, shining angels flying carefree up in paradise. Divine beings that deserved a position in such a holy place._

_He lowered his head, observing his surroundings. Shadows everywhere, but for flashes of color between clouds of mist. There was also no ground, as the roiling black, red, and purple fog went on forever downwards. As well as there were angels above, below and around him there were demons._

_Whereas the pure beings above the shield had full, feathery wings, the ones below had bones protruding from their backs. He even recognized some of the shadowy figures. There was the Sanin Orochimaru, Zabuza the demon of Kirigakure, even his hated brother Itachi. All of them had lifeless skeletal appendages. Their pureness had disappeared along with their angel wings when they had taken the path of sin. Living or dead, it didn't matter, the souls of the world were all in one place._

_He glanced upwards again, to the blissful universe above him. Up there, there were recognizable forms as well. He could see almost everyone in Konoha, from students at the Academy to ANBU members. Even Tsunade-sama was up there. And Jiraiya, and Kakashi, Naruto…_

_And Sakura._

_He stared for a few moments, watching her drift just above the glowing river that divided the innocent from the malevolent. He had imagined her as his angel…and now she had become one._

_He noticed she didn't look contented, like some of the other individuals up there. She looked anxious, turning her head back and forth. Searching for someone who wasn't there._

_As if she sensed him, her eyes wandered downwards to where he was. She stopped moving, blinking rapidly. Then, her face broke into a wide smile, one he hadn't seen in years. She motioned "come here" to him. She wanted him up there with her in that utopia._

_Sasuke shook his head sadly. He couldn't go with her. If he was below the barrier, it meant he had been placed there for good._

_She pointed behind her and fluttered her snow-white wings. She didn't get that with only bones he couldn't fly to her. He glanced behind him to make his point._

_His eyes widened. He didn't have skeletal wings. What he did have weren't very healthy-looking, as there were feather-less places where the skin showed through. He had seen stronger ones on pigeons. But they were still angel wings._

_His hope restored, he took off toward the shining barricade. Toward Sakura…they could be together up there…_

_He slowed to a stop just before reaching the defensive screen. Sakura hovered just beyond the stream of white light. Experimentally, Sasuke reached up and pressed his hand against the barrier. Though it was nearly transparent, it was solid. He banged his fist against it, causing a deep vibrating sound. But nothing else happened._

_Sakura, her face set in a determined frown, slammed her own fist into the shield. Except for another ringing noise, it had no effect. Watching her try to keep from panicking, he felt his way along the wall, searching for any kind of weak spot. Unfortunately, it all felt the same. Like cold glass._

_Sakura had closed her eyes and had both her hands up against the barrier. Sasuke watched in wonder as she directed her energy at her hands, pushing against the glowing shield with everything she had. He watched her muscles strain, while sweat dripped from her face. His eyes widened when her right hand slowly began passing through the solid light. She didn't let up until her whole hand was on his side. She smiled weakly at him with a "grab it and let's go" expression. His hopes soared._

_Sasuke suddenly realized that silence had replaced the unearthly whispering and clacking bones. Glancing behind him, he saw why._

_The demon souls, every one of those that were on a one-way path to the underworld, were gathered around the two instead of hiding in the shadows. Every one of them stared hungrily at Sakura's pale fingers protruding from the other side of the shield._

_Trying not to get alarmed, Sasuke took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled towards her. He kept glancing behind him at the horde of evil spirits that followed their every movement. Some stared in disbelief. Some grinned evilly as if it was hopeless. All watched silently as he tried to cross over to Sakura's region._

_At first, it seemed as though nothing happened. But gradually, she managed to drag part of his arm through the shield. The area that was still stuck between one world and the next was freezing cold. Sasuke gritted his teeth and pushed towards Sakura, desperate to get away from the other side._

_He felt a bone-chilling freeze when his head, eyes closed, passed through the barrier. But after a moment, it was replaced with comforting warmth. He opened his eyes and realized Sakura was hugging him. And it wasn't dark anymore._

_The barrier remained the same as it was before. No holes. He could just barely make out the murky shapes on the other side. Some appeared to be howling. Others were making rude finger gestures. He smirked and played with Sakura's hair, something he hadn't done in years._

_Sakura smiled up at him, her cheeks red from the strain of pulling him across the barrier. He felt his insides melt completely. She still had the same effect on him, even after what he had done to her..._

_She let go of him, instead grabbing his hand. He let her lead him upwards, to the multitude of angels above their heads. Looking behind him for the last time, he realized the closer they got to the shining light, the more his wings were restored. New feathers covered the bare spots until his were as full and powerful as Sakura's._

_There was a commotion above them. The others had noticed Sakura bringing him back from the other side. Naruto was waving enthusiastically, shouting something inaudible. Kakashi was smiling, it was obvious even through his mask. The others were waving and cheering as well. If he wasn't so good at controlling his emotions, Sasuke might have cried at the sight of all of them._

_The bright light above them all shone more brightly than it ever had behind the shield. Sasuke, allowing Sakura's hand to guide him through the windless air, watched the group of pure spirits grow closer until he could nearly reach out and touch them…_

* * *

_Clang. Clang._

Something jarred his mind out of that environment. The warm and soft paradise was suddenly gone, replaced by stiffness and an intense beam of light directed at his face.

"Come on, we don't have all day."

Sasuke reluctantly lifted his head, forcing his watery eyes open. Two Konoha ANBU black ops members stood before him. One carried a pair of handcuffs, the other a bottle of chloroform and a flashlight, shining the light into his pupils. That one spoke again.

"If you try to escape, we'll have to kill you before we get there."

Sasuke was hauled to his feet. He remembered his arms were paralyzed when the handcuffs were clasped around them and he couldn't feel the cold metal at all. He was led silently out of the tiny holding cell, into the room with two doors, and after that a long hallway with large windows. The sunlight seared his eyes after almost an entire day of darkness.

Sunlight. It was day.

The day of his execution.

* * *

OMG! Naruto, do something!


	16. Desperation

**Chapter sixteen: Desperation **

* * *

Naruto stood at the back of the small crowd that had gathered in a restricted area of Konoha. The only sound was the slow clink of chains and heavy footsteps. Two ANBU ninjas stood at each side of a chain-link fence, while the only exit was guarded by even more of them. Nobody spoke a word, even though the crowd was mostly teenagers.

The silence was deafening to Naruto's ears. No birds sang, no trees rustled, nothing. He glanced at each of the crowd members. Their expressions varied from blank to about-to-break-down-crying.

_Sasuke's gonna die…you gotta DO something!_ his brain screamed.

_But what? What can I do? What, what, what…_

"N-Naruto-kun…"

He turned around to find a sniffling Hinata. She fit into the about-to-burst-into-tears category perfectly. Her big whitish eyes were more watery than a window in a rainstorm.

"They…they're not going to…" she tried to say between sniffs. Suddenly, her eyes squeezed shut and she embraced him, bawling like a little kid.

"H-Hinata-chan…" Naruto stuttered, before relaxing and allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Her hand found his and she squeezed it.

Something pointy poked into his palm from hers. Naruto looked down and saw a folded square of paper. He flipped it open with his thumb, keeping it hidden from the other crowd members. Neat cursive greeted his eyes. "Graveyard. 3.5 mins. Good luck."

"Go now, or you'll miss your cue," Hinata whispered into his ear from her position, without a hint of sobbing. Naruto pulled away from her, grinning for the first time since re-entering the village.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," he mumbled, giving her a pat on the head before elbowing his way through the crowd and toward the exit.

Hinata watched as the ANBU allowed him through without a second glance. Only he could stop the death sentence from taking place.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun…" she murmured to herself. "Save your teammate."

* * *

Sasuke was once again in darkness. Though this time, it was because of the blindfold the ANBU had fastened around his head. They had learned of his Mangekyou Sharingan, hence his being led by only the tugging of the rope on his handcuffs. They had started his final trek through Konoha.

Sometimes he heard people's voices, but they would always trail off into silence whenever they drew close. ANBU leading a handcuffed prisoner could only mean the death row. Everyone in Konoha knew that.

They stopped walking at one point, Sasuke heard muffled voices from his escorts, then the jingling sound of a doorway in a chain-link fence being unlocked. He was pulled forward again, towards a large group of people. He could sense all of their chakra signatures. It was the old Rookie Nine, along with their teachers and Might Guy's team.

There was no sound coming from any of them. Sasuke was glad he had the blindfold on. He didn't want to see their faces. But…something was missing. The huge, hyperactive blaze of energy that was usually present was gone.

He hung his head. Naruto wasn't there.

* * *

Naruto, meanwhile, was perched on a tree branch that overlooked the Konoha graveyard. There were only a few people there, while the rest of the space was taken up by headstones. Almost directly below his hiding spot, there was a large, square hole in the ground in front of another gravestone. This one was newer, less worn down than the others.

The gathering was murmuring something about life and death over a large wooden coffin. Elaborately carved flowers adorned the wood, which one crying woman kept running her fingers over. Her cherry-pink hair meant she could only be a certain kunoichi's mother. Her husband stood beside her, blowing his nose into a tissue.

_Come on, what cue was Hinata-chan talking about? What am I supposed to be waiting for?_ thought Naruto impatiently. _When will the-_

One of the members of the cluster had a hand against his ear, speaking into a small microphone. He nodded to another person, and announced to the rest of them.

"I'm terribly sorry everyone, but the Hokage's assistant demands all your presences at a quick meeting over the standing of the deceased. We will resume this ceremony as soon as it concludes."

_Heh…good ol' Shizune-san_ thought Naruto, watching the procession file out of the cemetery. _That's my signal._

He hopped down from the tree branch onto the dirt next to the casket. Luckily, the lid wasn't nailed down yet. Trembling slightly, he lifted one end of it and pushed it to the side.

Inside, as he expected, lay the body of his teammate. She didn't look like she'd died a violent death. She looked like she was only asleep.

"Sakura…" breathed Naruto, trying to hold back his sadness. He couldn't help it. She seemed like she could just sit up and say, "Naruto? What are you doing here? Where's Sasuke-kun?"

_What am I supposed to do now? How the heck is this supposed to save Sasuke?_

_**Idiot child**_

_Shut up, fox. I'm not in the mood for you._

_**You shouldn't speak to me like that. Especially when I'm the only one who knows how make the plan your little girlfriend came up with a reality**_

Naruto didn't bother to correct the fox on the "girlfriend" thing.

_What are you talking about?_

_**Are you really that dumb?**_

_I don't have time for this! If we don't hurry, they're going to kill Sasuke!_

_**Fine. Have it your way. But remember, five more minutes and she's a goner.**_

_What do you m-_ Naruto managed to shout in his mind before everything blurred, then went black.

* * *

"Ow. Stupid fox."

Naruto scratched his head, attempting to dispel the feeling of being hit in the skull with a bowling ball. He blinked several times, shaking his head. He was in the exact same spot as before the fox had made him pass out.

_Oh my god. What time is it?! Did I miss the execution?!_

_**No, you've only been out four seconds.**_

Naruto was surprised to hear the familiar voice outside his head instead of inside it. Now that his vision had cleared, he could just make out the warped outline of a large animal in front of him. It was nearly invisible, but he could tell it was the fox.

But…how could the fox be _outside_ his mind?

Trying to figure things out, he lowered his head. And nearly screamed.

Another Naruto lay unconscious on the ground beside him. Though this time, it wasn't a shadow clone.

_**Don't act so surprised. All I did was pull you out of your body,**_ mumbled the fox disapprovingly.

"Th-…that's me?" stuttered Naruto. Unlike Sakura in the coffin, he didn't look like he was peacefully asleep. The expression on his face could only be described as "just been stabbed with a pointy object."

Glancing back at Sakura's body, he noticed something that hadn't been there before. There was a long, glittery cord leading out of her. It appeared just above her heart, and trailed away into the cemetery like a dog's leash. Looking down, he realized he had the same rope connecting him to his body.

_**That's her only link back to her remains. Once it disappears, she really will be dead. For now, you humans haven't perfected the art of leading a soul back to its body. Once she's been out for three whole days, the connection severs itself. You've got approximately two minutes left. Find her spirit, I'll fix her injuries.**_

Naruto stared suspiciously at the fox. _And why are you helping me with this so willingly?_ he demanded.

_**Because if I didn't, you'd never shut up about it. Now go.**_

Not needing to be told twice, Naruto sprinted off into the cemetery, following the shining rope that was their last chance at saving Sasuke. It trailed deep into the old part of the graveyard, back to the tombstones that hadn't been visited for years because the people under them were hundreds of years old. Despite it being broad daylight, Naruto felt himself getting a little freaked out by his surroundings.

"Nothin' to worry about," he told himself. "Ain't nothin' gonna happen. We're just on our way to find a dead soul in the middle of a graveyard. Ain't nothin' gonna-"

"Naruto?"

"GAAAAAHWHOSETHERE?!" he screamed in a very high-pitched voice, throwing his hands in the air.

"Wait…" he said more quietly, squinting. "Sakura-chan?"

The shining cord circled around behind a large tombstone. Behind it, a pale glow surrounded a ghostly figure. She had been hiding behind the headstone much like Hinata would sometimes hide from him, but at the sound of his voice mentioning her name, she stepped out into the open. The thread disappeared into the same spot as her body, just above her heart.

"Naruto…if you're here, are you a ghost too?" she asked softly. Sakura's soul looked exactly as she had in life, down to the last detail. She even had the bloody holes in her neck from being bitten. Naruto tried to avoid looking at that as he spoke to her.

"No Sakura-chan, see, it's like a…spiritual projection? Ah, who cares. Anyways, you've got to come back now! There might be a way to bring you back, and we need you to do it so we can save Emo Boy!"

She blinked several times. "Sasuke-kun…saved? Why does he…?"

"Because the people think he killed you on purpose and they're gonna take him out if we don't prove them wrong!"

Her green eyes widened. She shook her head disbelievingly.

"No…not Sasuke-kun…not my Sasuke-kun, no, they wouldn't…"

Naruto grabbed her wrist. "They will if we don't show them! Now, come on!"

He broke into a run, following both their spiritual cords back towards the grave he hoped nobody would have to fill.

* * *

"…Any final words to the prisoner, now is the time."

Sasuke had ignored most of the ANBU's speech, until the last sentence. This was the part where members of the audience would come up and say something to or about the person about to die. He'd seen it happen only once before, when he'd secretly followed his brother to the execution of a tratior Jounin.

Someone clomped up onto the platform where he was being held be the ANBU. There was only a weak chakra signature emitting from this being. It could only be one person.

"Sasuke," murmured Rock Lee. "I dreamed of fighting you someday when Naruto and Sa-…" he paused for several seconds. "…and Sakura-chan brought you back. Please know that I have always respected you and hope you find happiness in the afterlife."

He went back to the crowd, and another climbed the steps to the platform.

"Uchiha. You didn't deserve this."

_Thanks, Hyuga,_ thought Sasuke.

"Noooooo, not my Sasuke-kun, don't hurt him pleeeease, I'm begging you!"

_Ino. Having an emotional breakdown._

"Sasuke…just understand that we all know you're innocent. It might not stop this, but at least know we're all going to miss you."

_You make it sound like I'm taking a vacation, Kakashi._

Several other made similar comments. Sasuke wondered what their faces looked like. Probably all as somber as a funeral.

_I wonder what Naruto would say…if he were here…_

* * *

"Look, Sakura-chan, see? There it is!"

Ignoring the urge to wonder why he could be out of breath if he was a ghost, Naruto grinned wildly at Sakura. She stared at the shimmering spot of air above her dead body, trying to figure out what it was.

"Naruto, this may sound crazy, but why is there a giant animal floating over there?"

"You're not crazy. Just ignore it. It's here to help."

_**You owe me big for this, punk.**_

Sakura gasped when she heard the fox's voice. Naruto rolled his eyes.

The fox disappeared from view as they halted just in front of Sakura's corpse. It had been true to its word, the quick-healing powers Naruto normally possessed had been applied to her neck wounds. Nothing remained of the fang marks.

"Naruto…" mumbled Sakura. "How am I supposed to…you know…go back?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Uh…I hadn't really thought that far ahead…"

Something glowed red on the ground. Naruto realized it was Sakura's glittering cord. Her time was almost up. In a panic, he shoved her towards her body to see if she would make it. There was a bright flash of light, and when Naruto opened his eyes again, Sakura's soul was gone.

_**She's in there. Now we'll see if she can stay,**_ said the fox, back inside his head.

_Right. I'm comin' back in. _

* * *

Naruto groaned and tried getting to his feet. Nothing responded properly after an out-of-body experience. He had the pins-and-needles feeling just about everywhere, not to mention a wicked headache.

_**See if she's alive, idiot.**_

Naruto winced and stumbled over to the coffin. Holding the edge with both hands to keep his balance, he peeked inside.

Sakura's body lay unchanged. Still immobile, still ashen pale. The placing of her soul back in it had failed.

_No…Sakura-chan…_ thought Naruto, gripping the wood almost enough to break it. He almost turned away, and would have probably tried to stop the execution by himself, but...

"Unnnh…"

_Wait…dead bodies don't groan…ohmygawd!_

He whirled back around to the coffin's interior. Sakura's body was different after all. There was now more color in her face, not to mention the fact that she was actually _moving…_

Her eyes fluttered open. Naruto nearly cried when her bright green irises focused hazily on him.

"Nuh…Naruto…?" she whispered, sitting up and blinking in the sunlight.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" squealed Naruto, hugging her with a lot more force than intended. Sakura had made it. She wasn't dead.

_We did it…she's back…thank you, stupid fox, I love you!_

_**Don't you get all warm and fuzzy with me, punk, that was a one-time deal, you understand?**_ complained the fox. _**And by the way, you've still gotta save your teammate.**_

"Oh, that's right," he said to himself, releasing Sakura. She was running her hand along the rim of her death-casket in deep thought.

"I really was dead, wasn't I…I saw it all, Orochimaru killed, then those ANBU brought us back home…I never want to attend my own funeral again…"

Naruto nodded soberly. "But Sakura-chan, think of how happy everyone will be when they find out you're not…"

_**Um, hello?**_

"Oh, GOD! Sakura-chan, we gotta go like, right now! 'Member I told you about Sasuke? We gotta go stop them from killing him!"

She catapulted into panic mode. "Sasuke-kun? Naruto, what do we do? What do we do?! We'll never make it in time from all the way out here!"

"Don't you worry Sakura-chan, I have a plan…"

* * *

_This is it._

A rough tug on Sasuke's handcuffs yanked him forward several steps. Though now, everything moved slowly, as if underwater. The echo of each footstep stayed in his head for a few seconds.

Metal clinked against metal. Sasuke realized they were unlocking his handcuffs.

_Are they…?_

No. His hands were pulled apart, and fastened into separate metal restraints. This was the final execution procedure. A hand pushed him downwards until he was kneeling on the floor. The same hand shoved his head down until his face met with cold metal. They'd given him a block to hold his head against. How thoughtful.

Another, larger hand felt around the back of his neck, searching for any protection he might have slipped in to save himself. After a few seconds of double-checking, it was satisfied, and pulled back.

_Naruto…Sakura…Kakashi... _

He sensed every member of the crowd hold their breath. Though he couldn't see, he felt the cold shadow of a blade rising up above him. The seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly until it seemed time had frozen over…

_Forgive me…_

He closed his eyes inside his blindfold, and breathed slowly out…

"Sasuke-kun!"

_I must be dead…I can hear Sakura's voice already…_

"Sasuke-ku-u-un!"

_I'm sorry, Sakura…I don't think I made it to heaven…_

"Oi, Emo Boy!"

_Wait…Naruto?!_

"Naruto?" whispered Sasuke. "Sakura?"

* * *

"Whoa…what is tha-?!" one of the ANBU tried to say, before a frog the size of a wolf crashed into the platform, sending wood and smoke flying everywhere. A blonde boy jumped off its back as it disappeared, screaming the name of their prisoner, who was visibly struggling now.

"Insurgents. Kill him now."

"No! Sasuke-kun!"

The ANBU turned toward the voice. It had come from a pink-haired girl nobody had noticed before. She had landed in a heap after the giant frog disappeared, but now clambered to her feet with a panicked face. The crowd gasped. It was the dead girl another patrol group had brought in.

_They probably reanimated her body to prevent the death of their comrade…_One shinobi nodded to the other. The one holding the axe above the prisoner's head obeyed.

"Sasuke-ku-u-un!" screamed Sakura.

The blade glinted silver.

_Thud._

"NOOOOO, SASUKE-KUN!"

Naruto stood in shock while Sakura shrieked their teammate's name over and over again. He stood and stared as he had when Sakura had lain dead before him. Just as before, a part of his soul had died.

The axe lay where it had fallen.

Between the head and body of Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

Ok, yes, I totally ripped off the "soul chain" thingy from Bleach. Please don't sue me! I have no money!


	17. Without You

**Chapter seventeen: Without You

* * *

**

Sakura collapsed to her knees. She would have fallen over backwards if Naruto hadn't caught her.

_"Don't cry, Sakura. I'll come back." He promised…_

"Sasuke-kun…no…no, no no NO!" she cried, unable to remove her eyes from the puddles of red liquid gathering on the floor in front of her.

_"I won't let anything like that ever happen to you again…"_

Shaking off Naruto's hold, she unsteadily made it to her feet.

_"__I was just…so afraid of losing you…I was willing to do anything to make sure you stayed alive…"_

Her vision was too blurred by tears to see clearly.

_"I love you."_

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered. "Sasuke-kun!"

A different hand grabbed her this time. It was rough, violent. Something cold and steely was pressed against her throat. The same had happened to Naruto, though he thrashed against his captor, whereas she did nothing.

"That was an amusing stunt you pulled, little girl. I don't know how you managed to fool the medic-nins into thinking you were dead," said one of the ANBU.

"Let them go, you jerks!" shouted somebody from the audience. Other spectators began voicing their assent as well.

"Yeah! It's not their fault!"

"You ANBU guys think you're all that!"

Sakura heard the sound of weapons being drawn. Were the others going to start a riot?

She closed her eyes, tears still silently trailing down her face. It didn't matter what happened next. He was gone.

Something thudded near her, and she was released. She gazed down through watery eyes and saw the ANBU that had taken her prisoner lying on the ground, though there was no blood. Naruto's grunts caught her attention, and she turned her head to see him on the floor pushing his ANBU's unconscious body off of himself.

_What just hap-?!_

She looked around her, wondering who had taken out the guards. The ANBU by the gateway were also unconscious.

Something metallic clanged onto the floor behind her. Sakura spun around at the noise, partially out of fear of whatever could take down so many of Konoha's best shinobi.

"Ka…Kabuto?!"

* * *

_The heck?!_ thought Naruto. 

"Hey! What are you doing here, you traitor?!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger.

Kabuto ignored him, instead gazing blankly at Sakura.

"Yeah yeah, she's alive, though you probably helped your leader kill her in the first place!"

Naruto began channeling chakra into his right palm for a Rasengan. The medic-nin that betrayed Konoha would get what was coming to him. Shoved straight down his throat.

Kabuto began walking slowly towards Sakura. Everyone in the crowd was holding their breath. Naruto, holding a fully-formed Rasengan, shouted to his teammate.

"Sakura-chan! Get out of the way, this guy's toast!"

She didn't move. Naruto couldn't attack until she was safely out of the way.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?"

She just stood there, her hands clasped in front of her, shivering. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between Kabuto and the barely-visible corpse on the execution block.

The Sound spy stopped in front of her. She barely heard Naruto's shouted curses. Something else reached her first.

"Sakura."

Sakura froze, staring at the medic-nin. Naruto couldn't keep up his Rasengan much longer, it took a lot of chakra, even for him.

"Get away from her, you-!"

He stopped abruptly when Sakura heard her name from Kabuto. She stared at him for a few seconds, her shivering halted.

She reached up slowly, and with shaking hands, removed his glasses.

Though it seemed impossible, her eyes grew even wider. Her mouth formed a single word, without any volume behind it. Naruto saw what word it was.

The traitor to Konoha smiled faintly at her. He grasped his Oto headband and pulled it off, letting it fall to the ground.

Naruto's eyes followed it as it clanged against the floor. Or more accurately, he stared at the clump of silvery fur that was attached to it. Glancing back up, he, the crowd watching, and most of all Sakura, gasped collectively.

She felt a hand, gentle this time, touch the side of her face. A voice she never expected to hear again reached her ears.

"It's me."

Her vision blurred over with tears again.

"Oh…"

She was pulled close into a bear hug. She squeezed her eyes shut, and managed through relieved sobs to say that word again, though this time everyone could hear it.

"Sasuke…kun…" she whispered, and broke down in tears.

* * *

Naruto stared, even as the crowd around the platform erupted into cheering. 

Sasuke was alive.

But then-

"Sasuke!" he shouted, stumbling towards his seemingly-resurrected teammate. "What did…how did you…?!"

The Uchiha lifted his head up and glanced at the decapitated body on the execution block.

"That's the real Kabuto. And the paralyzing fluid wore off just before you showed up."

He lowered his head back to Sakura's.

"How did you come back?" he asked softly, caressing the side of her face.

"N-Naruto…" she stammered, blinking repeatedly.

"He brought you back?"

She nodded slowly, unable to keep blinking back her tears. Sasuke pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry I had to scare you like that…" he whispered to her. "I was prepared to die if it meant being with you…but when I heard your voice, I wanted to live…"

"But…you…and the…" stuttered Sakura.

"That was my backup plan. I hoped somehow you weren't really gone…so I used the traitor's dead body as a replacement when everyone was watching you and Naruto."

He pulled something out from under his shirt. The broken chain had been replaced with a string, but the colorless stone on the end still glimmered as brightly as ever.

Naruto's eyes went back to the headless body. There was nothing on either half of its neck. Turning back to his teammates, he watched Sakura's hand touch her own pendant.

"Sasuke-kun…" she murmured, through tears now of relief. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him just as hard as she had when he had told her he was leaving Konoha. As much as when he was screaming in pain from being bitten by the snake Sanin. As much as when he had first told her he cared about her.

"I love you. I love you so much," she whispered.

"As much as I love you, Sakura."

Naruto stared as Sasuke, paying no heed to the crowd of former Genin at all, leaned close and kissed the revived kunoichi in front of everyone. They both closed their eyes and hugged one another, ignoring everything but the joy of being reunited at last.

Rude whistles and laughs joined the cheering. Several people had climbed up on the platform with them, one of whom made eye contact with Naruto. He grinned and jumped over to her.

"Hinata-chan, you're amazing!" he squealed, hugging her. As usual, she blushed and stuttered.

"N-Naruto-kun, I…I…" she stammered nervously.

"Don't try to be modest, Hinata-chan. Without you, those two would never have come back together," he said, pointing at the embracing couple. Hinata smiled sadly at them, though inside she was imagining a different pair in the same position.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing," said Naruto.

"Uh?"

"I, uh…I like you too, Hinata-chan."

* * *

"You three are in so. Much. Trouble." 

Tsunade glared at the members of Team Seven seated in her office. Naruto was holding an ice pack against the bruise on his head where Neji had punched him after catching him being "exceptionally friendly" with his cousin. Sakura sat on Sasuke's lap holding a box of tissues, blowing her nose every few minutes. Sasuke petted the top of her head, glaring right back at the Hokage for not giving her any further comfort. Tsunade had just barely gotten over her shock at seeing Sakura alive, and was back to her scolding mood.

"Why exactly are we in trouble, Madame Hokage?" Sasuke said in monotone. Naruto would have laughed if not for the pain in his skull. Sasuke still never showed respect to anyone.

"You three completely screwed with the entire operative recovery mission."

"The verdict clearly stated that the execution was for the crime of murdering another shinobi. It seems pretty pointless to proceed when said shinobi is alive and well."

Tsunade shot him a death glare.

"Are you implying that you wanted it to go through, that you wanted there to be only one person in this room right now instead of three?"

"Shut your mouth, Uchiha. You're still classified as a missing-nin."

"But you can change that," squeaked Naruto through his throbbing headache. "He did get rid of Orochimaru and Kabuto. And there was no damage, well except for the smashed-up stage….sorry about that…"

Tsunade rubbed her temples. There was no way she could punish Sasuke as severely as she believed he deserved. Sakura would never forgive her. And right now it was Sakura-just-came-back-from-being-dead-so-don't-do-anything-to-upset-her.

"He's still in rather deep for leaving Konoha in the first place."

Sakura and Sasuke stiffened.

"Tsunade-sama…" sniffled Sakura. She had learned to control her outbursts better over the years, but right now was an emotional moment. "It wasn't his fault."

"…I see," mumbled the Hokage. "The absolute least I can give is supervised probation and Genin status for a year. And even then, I'll have to work out the details."

"Fine by me," said Sasuke, twisting a bit of Sakura's hair around his finger.

"Thanks, Grandma," said Naruto, ignoring Tsunade's death glare.

"Go. You're dismissed," she growled. They didn't need to be told twice.

Tsunade watched Sakura leave with Sasuke's arm around her waist. It reminded her of her first love.

_Sakura…I'm sorry…I nearly made you go through the same that happened to me…I hope he stays alive…for both your sakes…_

* * *

"Wow…this place hasn't changed at all…" remarked Sasuke as the three of them walked through the darkened Leaf village. It seemed like decades since they had last roamed around the village streets for no particular reason. Streetlights provided their only illumination, having to deal with everything afterwards had gone from mid-morning to late evening. 

Sakura squeezed his hand, enjoying its warmth. "It's just the way it always has been. Well, they did add Tsunade-sama's face to the Hokage mountain…that's all, though."

"Hm," he mumbled in reply.

The three of them turned a corner, coming face to face with a sleepy Shikamaru. He was carrying an unmoving person on his shoulders, and glared back at their questioning looks.

"Shut up. The troublesome woman fainted, so I have to carry her back home."

Sakura cringed inside at the sight of her old rival. There was no telling what Ino would do, knowing the boy she liked had someone else.

Shikamaru trudged past them, muttering something about having to wait till he got home for his mom's burnt noodles.

"Oh shoot, that's right" said Naruto, smacking a hand to his forehead. "I totally forgot. I promised Hinata I'd meet her at Ichiraku's."

"Go on then," said Sakura, smiling. "Don't miss your date." She emphasized the word "date."

Naruto blushed embarrassedly, and ran off without saying anything.

"Those two are meant for each other," said Sakura. "He talks, she listens."

"I gue-"

A low, gurgling sound interrupted Sasuke. Sakura was surprised to see him blush.

"Sasuke-kun? What was _that_?!"

"Uh…I, um…haven't eaten in a while, not since…"

His stomach growled again.

"When?" demanded Sakura, her hands on her hips.

"…"

"Answer me, Sasuke-kun."

"…Couple days…"

"Sasuke-kun! That's not healthy!" she exclaimed. Grabbing his hand, she announced, "You're coming to my place. You need to eat something," and dragged him down a different street.

* * *

Sasuke silently allowed himself to be led to wherever Sakura was taking him. She could have been taking him back to the Sound village and it wouldn't have mattered. He'd follow her anywhere. 

He took the time they spent walking to really look at her for the first time since seeing her again after several years. She had grown her hair back out after all, and he blushed at some of the thoughts his hormones were sending to his brain.

_But…she's still just as beautiful, like a flower that never wilts. God, I'm starting to sound like Lee…_

Several streets, three doors and one endless flight of stairs later, he was watching her fumble around for her keys. More specifically, he was watching how her hair fell across her face when she frowned, digging through her shuriken holster. A second later, she smiled triumphantly, clutching a small brass key between her fingers.

"Ah, there we go. Sorry it took so long."

The lock clicked open, and she pushed open her apartment door.

Literally, she nearly had to shove it off its hinges. Sasuke peeked over her and stared.

The neat and tidy kunoichi's apartment was anything _but_ neat and tidy. The only things keeping it from being so were-

"Books?" he mumbled.

They were everywhere, stuffed onto shelves, gathering dust in piles, and spilling all over the floor. Said floor was barely visible under the sheer amount of them.

"Eh-heh…sorry, Sasuke-kun. I meant to clean it all up before you…came back, but I never really got around to it…" she smiled, embarrassed.

"It's ok. I've seen worse."

"I've kind of always been a devoted reader…ever since I learned how I was always stealing my mom's books so I could try and understand them…"

"No wonder you're so smart."

She giggled, stepping carefully onto each sparsely-placed bare spot on the floor. Sasuke's hand shot out to keep a stack of unsteady volumes from burying her in an avalanche. He glanced at the title, wondering why she kept so many heavy books in such dangerous places.

"Cellular Meiosis for Advanced Erudition?"

"Oh, I read all kinds of scientific drabble back in the Academy. I guess I was a bit of a nerd."

He flipped the book open to somewhere in the middle. Words with well over twenty letters saturated every page. If she knew that much back then, she must be more educated than even the top training specialists…

"Over there's the kitchen," she said, pointing to a doorway with surprisingly few books piled around its frame. "I'll be right back, see if you can find the sofa. It's somewhere under that pile over there."

She navigated through another maze of manuscripts, disappearing behind the less-crowded doorway.

Sasuke eventually found the couch she was talking about after nearly being submerged in several other piles of books. He cleared a space on one of the cushions and sat down, gazing at Sakura's unorganized library. Just about everything imaginable was scattered across the floor, from encyclopedias to science-fiction graphic novels.

Sakura appeared from behind the other door, carrying a cylindrical container roughly the size of a basketball.

"Uh…Sasuke-kun? Lee offered to put something back in my fridge before we saw Tsunade-sama, you know, so it wouldn't be empty, and well…" she trailed off.

"What? Is it health-food? Tofu?"

"Um…instant coffee and kiwi ice cream."

He stared at her for a few seconds. Then they both started laughing.

"Oh my god. This is so surreal," she managed to get out between giggles, plopping herself on the sofa next to Sasuke.

_Wow…he's really cute when he laughs._

_She looks like an angel when she's smiling._

"If this was a chapter in a novel, it could be called "Of Kiwis and Instant Coffee."

"Maybe."

_Back before he left, I don't think I would have ever believed I'd one day make him laugh._

She pried the top off of the container, revealing the soft green mush inside. She dropped a spoon into Sasuke's hand and, using her own, carved a chunk out of the fruity pulp. He followed suite with enthusiasm.

"You know," he said between scoop-fulls, "I'm glad you're not like those girls who always obsess about their weight. It'd be hard to deal with watching someone just sit there while you eat."

"I love you too, Sasuke-kun," said a giggling Sakura. She then sighed, and tilted her head at him. "You know…I missed you so much…when you were gone."

"Don't worry. I'm never going anywhere again. I promise."

"…Thank you…"

* * *

A while later, the container was nearly empty. Sakura licked some stray ice cream off the end of her fingers, determined not to let even a trickle remain. 

Sasuke noticed she had a drop of pale green just above her lips.

_I should clean that off for her…_ he thought, leaning close to her and planting his lips onto hers.

She squeaked, and blushed when he moved back.

"You had something on your face," he murmured, amused by her surprised expression.

She blinked, and smiled her devil-smile. "And I think you have something on yours."

She clambered onto his lap and kissed him back. Sasuke put his arms around her and cuddled her against himself, breathing in her kiwi-smell. If he had been offered the chance to be anywhere in the world, he wouldn't have taken it. Being with Sakura, knowing she was alive was enough for him.

Sakura eventually pulled her head back, contented with gazing dreamily into his dark, glittering eyes. He looked back at her with such child-like innocence, she could feel everything welling up inside her. She almost blurted out everything, how much she loved him, how much she missed him, every dream she'd ever had of them together…

But she had the feeling that he probably knew it all already.

* * *

Awww! The cuteness of those two rebuilding their lives together, ah the fluff! How I do lub happy resolutions...(Sorry, Kabuto-lovers...) 

Ok, devoted readers. The next bit is still part 2, but 1 year in teh future. Sasu's off probation, Naru & Hina are going out (WOOT) and somebody's getting a little bit jealous of the 2 main peeps...Cross your fingers!


	18. Rhythmic Expression

**Chapter eighteen: Rhythmic Expression

* * *

**

"Ooh, Haruno-san look!"

"Enka, I'm not buying you any candy. You mother told me not to."

Sakura sighed, watching her client's daughter pout.

_I'm a fully qualified medic-nin. Why am I stuck on babysitting D-rank missions? Sheesh._

She watched Enka, the twelve-year-old daughter of a foreign noble, attempt to think of a way to trick Sakura into getting her something she wasn't normally allowed to have because of her hyperactivity.

_She'd never make it as a ninja. She's too obvious about everything._

"This is boring," Enka announced. "Is it time for the music yet?"

Sakura checked her watch. It was a metallic pink, with the time, date, day and month. Her one-year-back-in-Konoha anniversary present from Sasuke.

"It starts in ten minutes. Might as well go and get our place in line."

Enka squealed, and took off half-skipping back down the street she had just spent the past twenty minutes dragging Sakura along.

Sakura sighed. Yet another over-the-top summer celebration in Konoha. Except this time she had to spend it watching one of the attending noble's spoiled kids.

"Enka, get back here this minute!" she shouted, unable to slip through the crowd of people choking the streets as easily as the little girl had. A muffled stream of words learned from Tsunade followed that sentence as she struggled to catch up with her. Eventually she found her tapping her foot impatiently at the entrance to a building. The same building that held her Valentine's Day memories from so many years ago…

"Haruno-sa-a-a-an, come on, I wanna go-o-o-o…" whined the preteen.

"All right, already," grumbled Sakura. _First prize in the griping department_, she thought, following the overexcited girl through the entrance. The first room, the large hall where most events and parties were held, was choked with a winding line of people.

Sakura muttered under her breath again. "Where is he?" she mumbled out loud, squinting at the massive line.

"Who ya lookin' for?" demanded Enka, poking Sakura in the back of the head.

"The one who was supposed to hold our place in line for us," she said through gritted teeth. _Tsunade-sama owes me big for watching this brat._

"Oh, _there_ he is," she said aloud. "Come on, Enka. Your place in line awaits."

The girl followed Sakura as she made her way around the queue, meaning they were shoving against the wall at some points. Sakura reached her place-holder first from behind, reaching out and turning his face to meet hers.

"Hey, Sweetpea. Sorry we're late," she said, smiling brightly.

"You're taking up Kakashi's bad habits," he mumbled in reply. "Stay here for a bit, I gotta go find the idiot. He was supposed to pick us up some food."

Sakura watched his raven hair disappear into the crowd while she occupied their shared space in line. Her heart was warmed a little by the sight of his Konoha headband back in place on his forehead.

She realized Enka was being unusually quiet. Like Naruto, the girl tended to babble like there was no tomorrow. Turning around, Sakura found her staring after the person that had just left with a dazed expression.

"Who was _that_?" she squeaked, turning her gaze to Sakura, who wasn't in the least surprised to get this reaction.

"My significant other," she answered casually. She and Sasuke never referred to one another with shallow terms like "boyfriend" and "girlfriend." It practically implied you were only going to date for a few weeks before having a dramatic dumping. They had much longer-term plans than that.

"Oh my GOD!" squealed Enka. "He's absolutely _gorgeous_!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. _Not another one…_

"If you two ever break up, can I have him? Please?"

Sakura flinched, her eye twitching.

"We've been together since we were kids, and never broken up. And I think he's a bit too old for you."

Enka pouted again. "Aww, no fair…you're so lucky…what a hottie…"

_Chyeah, you know it!_ shouted Inner Sakura.

Enka stared off into the distance, blushing like a tomato. "I dunno how you got such a cutie to like you, Haruno-san. You're nothing special."

_Wait until AFTER the mission. Then kill the brat._

* * *

"…And here's yours, Sakura-chan." 

"Thanks, Naruto."

Sakura took the steaming paper bag Naruto handed her. It had only taken Sasuke a few minutes to find him, seeing as the loudmouth was always there to egg on their Hokage at the gambling tables. And get punched in the gut for laughing every time she lost.

There were approximately two minutes left before anybody could enter the building's auditorium. Everyone in line was getting fidgety.

"Sakura," came Sasuke's whispered voice next to her ear.

"Yes?"

"That girl you're babysitting is s_taring_."

Sakura grinned. "Well, I honestly can't say I blame her, Sasuke-kun."

His grumbled complaints were interrupted by a crackling noise that issued from the loudspeakers.

"Attention everyone, the seating for the Music Festival will begin at this time. Those with reserved seats, please have your confirmation papers ready at the door."

"Whoo! It took 'em long enough!" Naruto said noisily.

_That's our hyperactive idiot._

The people standing in line shuffled slowly forward as the double-doors leading into the performance area were pushed open.

"Hey Sakura-chan, are you gonna participate again this year?" asked Naruto through a mouthful of food as the group filed into their seats.

"'Course. You know how much I like singing."

"Sweet! Go on and dazzle 'em, Sakura-chan!"

"Ok…but you have to watch Enka for me while I'm gone," said Sakura, pointing to the girl still staring at their teammate.

"Her? Ah, no problem," answered Naruto.

"Okthanksbyehavefun!" Sakura said quickly, taking off toward the backstage door. _He has no idea what he's getting himself into…hee hee hee…_

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto wave at Sakura as she disappeared behind the doorway. 

_She'll do a good job. She's not a bad singer at all._

"So what's _your_ name?"

He cringed inwardly at the sound of Sakura's client's daughter's voice. He'd heard that sickeningly gooey tone too many times before. Apparently he'd accidentally created yet another fangirl.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he mumbled, pretending to be extremely interested in the painted ceiling.

"You're hot, Sasuke-san."

He twitched. Who had taught her _that_?

"Enka, don't pay any attention to Emo Boy," inserted Naruto. "He's already got Sakura-chan so he'll ignore everyone else, being the antisocial icicle that he is."

Enka eyed him like a cat's coughed-up hairball. "You're not cute at all, Blondie. I doubt you could find a girlfriend if your life depended on it."

Naruto spluttered angrily. "Hey, for your information I do too have a girlfriend!"

"Whatever. Sooooo…" she said in that same syrupy tone while turning back to Sasuke.

"Now I see why Sakura-chan was so happy to get away from her," muttered Naruto. He did get some entertainment out of watching his teammate mouth "Help me!" however.

_Eh…I should probably save him. Sakura-chan will get mad if I don't. But on the other hand…Emo Boy hasn't been attacked by a fangirl in years. It's kinda nostalgic._

Naruto, happening to be in a particularly sadistic mood, chose the second option. He watched his teammate endure verbal harassment, grinning evilly. He knew Sasuke would probably kill him later, but it was worth it.

* * *

Around half an hour later, the lights dimmed, and another hyperactive girl (Konoha seemed to be full of them) bounded onto the stage in front of the opening curtains in an overly sparkly outfit. 

"Konnichiwa everybody! My name is Mina-chan, and I'll be your announcer tonight!"

Sasuke ignored the girly voice that blared from the loudspeakers. He had something more important to worry about.

"Enka. Let go of my arm. Now."

"But Sasuke-san," she fake-whimpered, "I'm afraid of the dark."

"You are not. You're twelve. Naruto, do something."

"Why?" asked Naruto innocently. "You wouldn't say no to a scared little girl, would you, Emo Boy?"

"Idiot, I am going to take you outside, tear out your intestines with my bare hands and force them up your-"

Sasuke was interrupted by the announcer reading off the first name.

"All right folks, let's get this show on the road. Our first performer is, from our very own Leaf Village, Sakura Haruno! Everybody cheer!"

She didn't need to tell them, everyone in the audience knew what a good singer Sakura was.

"WOOOO YEAH GO SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Sit down, idiot."

The announcer, whose name Sasuke couldn't be bothered to remember, returned to her seat in the audience as the curtains slowly opened.

Everyone is the audience quieted. Sasuke just stared.

Sakura stood in the center of the stage, holding a microphone. But that wasn't what he was staring at.

She had somehow, within the space of four and a half minutes, managed to make herself look like a movie star. She had changed out of her normal clothes and into a deep red kimono, tied with a plum-colored sash. She had taken her hair out of its ponytail, letting it flow with only a purple, flower-shaped clip above her ear.

_Sakura…_ thought Sasuke, allowing himself to blush. _You look…amazing…_

A smirking Naruto noticed his teammate's reddened face almost instantly. Sakura was the only person on the planet who could bring out emotions other than anger and smugness in the Uchiha.

A stringed instrument played out in the background. Sakura's eyes met Sasuke's and she smiled directly at him.

_"Here comes the sun in the form of a girl, she's the finest, sweetest thing in…the…world, uh-huh…take you to he-e-eaven tonight…"_

"Wow, she's good," murmured Enka, her attention diverted for once.

_"I feel the horses comin' galloping, in the summer rain, take you to he-e-eaven tonight, uh-huh, 'cause I love you, for what you are…"_

"She's not just good. She's the best," said Sasuke.

_"I'll gallop to you…tonight, tonight we'll ride…I'll give in to you…we're goin' to heaven toni-i-ight…toni-i-ight…"_

Enka looked at Sasuke for once without an infatuated expression. "You must love her a lot, Sasuke-san."

_"Out on the winding road, I couldn't wait, oh baby I was afraid, headed for he-e-eaven tonight, uh-huh…I'll go to he-e-eaven tonight…"_

Sasuke glanced at her, not bothering to hide his blushing. "Yeah. I do."

_"I feel the horses comin' galloping, I will never grow old, I'll go to he-e-eaven tonight, uh-huh, 'cause I love you for what you are…"_

Enka looked unusually thoughtful. Sasuke ignored her and went back to watching the stage.

_"I'll gallop to you…tonight, tonight, we'll ride…I'll bow down to you…we're goin' to heaven toni-i-ight…toni-i-ight…"_

It had been so long since he had heard her sing like this, pouring her soul into a song because she knew he was listening.

_"I can't believe that I can be happy, someone will come again, I can't be happy, oh stop your cryin', you can be happy, go to heaven when you make me happy-y-y…"_

Sasuke watched her sway in time with the beat of the music. She reminded him of a flower. A flower singing punk rock music.

_"Here comes the kiss that I never had, nothing feels like this, headed for he-e-eaven tonight, uh-huh…I love you…"_

She could have easily been a musical superstar. She was much better than most of the popular singers he'd heard.

_"Here comes the storm in the form of a girl, she's the finest, sweetest thing in…the…world, uh-huh, I'll go to he-e-eaven tonight, for what you are…I'll gallop to you…tonight, tonight we'll ride…I'll bow down to you…we'll go to heaven toni-i-ight…toni-i-ight…"_

She repeated the last two words several times, eventually allowing her voice to fade as the music came to an end. Every member of the audience stood up and gave her a standing ovation. Naruto bounded toward the stage's stairway as Sakura descended, waving and saying "Thank you, everyone."

"Sakura-chan, you done it again!" announced Naruto. She laughed and patted his head.

"Thanks, Naruto," she said as the two made their way back to their seats. Sakura was surprised to find just Enka sitting there, looking bored.

"Sasuke-san left for the bathroom," she said jadedly.

Sakura and Naruto resisted the urge to get violent, re-occupying their seats. The announcer Mina-chan appeared back onstage, clapping enthusiastically.

"Well done, Sakura-chan! Well done indeed! A perfect starter for tonight's show. That'll be tough to top!"

"She's totally right," whispered Naruto.

"And now we have our next performer for tonight…"

"I wonder where Sasuke-kun could b-"

Sakura stopped abruptly as the stage caught her eye. The second person had already occupied the center, a black electric guitar hanging off his shoulders.

"Also from our very own Leaf Village, please give a warm welcome to…"

Obsidian eyes met with jade.

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

* * *

Fluffs galore! No, he's not going to play Linkin Park. Deal with it. 


	19. Proclamation

**Chapter nineteen: Proclamation

* * *

**

"Wait…Sasuke-kun is performing?" Sakura asked confusedly.

"A-yep. GO, EMO BOY!" shouted Naruto, earning him yet another death glare from the Uchiha fiddling with the microphone. Eventually he was satisfied, and began strumming his guitar, each note echoing off the silenced walls.

"_There's another world inside of me that you may never see…There's secrets in this life that I can't hi-i-ide…Somewhere in this darkness, there's a light that I can't find…Maybe it's too far away, yeah… Maybe I'm just blind…"_

Sakura gaped. Sasuke had never told her he could sing. And he wasn't bad.

"_Maybe I'm just blind..."_ he sang with closed eyes. When they opened again, Sakura could see he was doing the same as she had, giving this song everything he had to offer.

_"So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong, hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone…"_

_Sasuke-kun…_thought Sakura. _I had no idea you were such a good musician…_

"_Everything I am, and everything in me, wants to be the one you wanted me to be_…_I'll never let you down, and even if I could, I'd give up everything, if only for your good…" _

"Heh…ya like it, Sakura-chan?" asked a grinning Naruto.

_"So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong, hold me when I'm scared, you won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone…Love me when I'm gone…"_

"It's wonderful," answered Sakura.

_"Only your penetrating x-ray can see under my skin, I'd tell you every little thing that I could not tell my friends…Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I'm alone…Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone…"_

Naruto chuckled. "He's been spending weeks practicing it for you."

_"So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong, hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone…Everything I am, and everything in me…wants to be the one you wanted me to be…"_

Sakura's eyes widened as she blushed a little. "For me?"

_"I'll never let you down, and even if I could, I'd give up everything, if only for your good…So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong, hold me when I'm scared, you won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone…"_

Naruto's vision wandered to their teammate onstage.

"Yeah. He got me out almost every day to help him get it just right. He said if it was going to be good enough for his precious Sakura-chan, it'd have to be absolutely perfect."

_Wow…_ thought Sakura.

_"When I'm gone…when I'm go-o-o-one…"_

Once again, the audience gave a standing ovation to a great performance. But hardly any of them clapped as vigorously as Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, catching him in a tackling hug as he descended the steps off the stage. He smirked and ran a hand over the back of her head.

"You liked it?"

"It was amazing…you never told me you could sing! Or play guitar, for that matter. And the way you changed the words was just too cute! Where on earth did you learn how to play like that? Hardly anybody here has a musical bone in their bodies."

"I cheated," he said, still smirking.

"You wha-…?"

She noticed his eyes flash blood-red for a just a moment. She laughed, and shook her pointer finger at him.

"Ah. Naughty Sasuke-kun. No cookies for you."

He pretended to sulk, making her laugh again. "Come on, Naruto's holding our seats. You can hang out with Enka again."

He groaned. "Her…?"

"Eh, don't be a baby. There are only forty-six more acts to go."

* * *

"Blondie, tell them to stop it, it's gross!"

"Hey kid, I'm not the boss of those two."

Naruto attempted not to laugh as Enka whined to him about his teammates and their "romantic gestures."

"I thought you _liked_ Emo Boy."

Enka glared at him. "How would you like it if you had to watch your girlfriend make out with someone else for twenty minutes straight?"

Naruto choked, and glared back at her. "You little…"

"Be nice to her, Naruto," said Sakura from her position snuggled against Sasuke. The music festival had ended just recently, and everyone was attending the afterwards party, if only because of the free food and nothing else.

Naruto tried to ignore the preteen as she pestered him about the other two.

_Geez…if they wanna sit on a bench and act all lovey-dovey, it's not my problem. Get over yourself already._

"Sakura-chan, how much longer do I hafta watch this thing?" he whimpered just loudly enough for her to hear, but not the target of his complaints.

"All right, all right, you can go find Hinata," she answered, reluctantly pulling out of the Uchiha's embrace. Naruto squealed his thanks in a most un-manly manner and bounded off to look for the Hyuga kunoichi.

"All right Enka, I'm back to being your babysitter," Sakura murmured unenthusiastically. The girl unfortunately didn't let up her nagging attitude.

"This is boring. I wanna go back to my mom and dad. How much longer do I hafta wait?"

Sakura ground her teeth, trying to put her polite act back on.

"Just another half hour, Enka…"

Her attention was caught elsewhere when a flustered Hinata temporarily abandoned her boyfriend, instead coming over to her.

"Hinata? What is it?"

"Uh, um…well, you see, somebody told me someone wanted to, well, talk to you out back, and I'm just, I'm just the messenger, so…"

Sakura sighed. "Ok, thanks, Hinata. Now get back there, Naruto looks lonely without you holding his hand."

She smiled hurriedly and bowed, before returning to her hyperactive crush's side.

In her mind, Sakura scrutinized her and Naruto's behaviors. Naruto had one arm around Hinata, her head partially resting against his shoulder. She was blushing as usual, but seemed a lot happier than when she had just been considered his friend. She laughed and smiled more often. Naruto didn't act as obnoxious as he usually would, not wanting to make Hinata uncomfortable. Sakura watched him laugh at something, and give Hinata an unexpected peck on the cheek.

_It looks similar…but would he be acting any differently if she had used a love potion on him?_

That thought had resurfaced several months ago. Having a reference in the form of her teammate and his girlfriend, she had unwillingly gone back to wondering if she had messed with the cosmos somehow. She had been on cloud nine ever since Sasuke had admitted to having feelings for her, but she had no idea if he really meant his happiness around her. It was driving her insane.

She glanced back at her object of affection, meeting his dark eyes.

"Go on, I'll watch the brat for you," he offered.

"You sure it's ok?"

"Yeah. It's just one little monster. I can handle it."

"Aw, thanks, Sasuke-kun."

"Hey!" squealed Enka in anger. "Are you calling me a brat?!"

Sakura was already out the door, but she heard Sasuke answer her in that ice-cold tone of his, "Yeah. You gonna do something about it?"

_That's our Sasuke-kun._

She walked around the other side of the building, reminiscing back to when she had taken the exact same path, except that last time she had been following her childhood love back there so he could ask her to dance for the very first time…

She stopped abruptly at the end of the alley, her eyes narrowed at the chakra signature she sensed. This was probably going to get very ugly.

* * *

"Ino-pig," she murmured.

"Billboard head," said the blonde standing before her.

Sakura's eyes met with her cold blue ones. "What do you want?"

The other girl sighed, and rolled her eyes. "And I remember you used to be the smart one. The geek. The nerd. The shy little bookworm."

"Did you call me out here just to insult me?" demanded Sakura.

Ino snorted. "No. You know what I want to hear."

"If this is about Sasuke-kun…"

"Oh heavens no, this is about Shikamaru!" Ino said sarcastically.

"Leave Sasuke-kun out of this."

"Aren't we the brave one now, hm?"

"Leave him alone. I know you used to like him, but-"

"_Used_ to? Oh that's right, I simply can't stand the thought of him now! Listen up you little thief, I want to know what you did."

"And I suppose I stole him from you?"

"Answer the question."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Suddenly the blonde girl was only two inches from Sakura, with a murderous expression plastered across her pale face.

"You did something, you little rat. I know he didn't just suddenly fall for you. He's the kind of guy who has to be thoroughly impressed before he can even _think_ of looking at you as an equal. You're too pathetic to ever hope for that, so I want to know what you did."

Sakura didn't like being pushed around. She shouted at her rival, "Sasuke-kun's not like that! He cares about more than just people's strength or special abilities!"

Ino chuckled evilly. "The years haven't made you any better at lying. You knew he would never fall for you, so you tricked him. I'm not quite sure how, but you messed with his head. You rearranged things the way you wanted them, getting him to believe that you were his perfect match."

"That's not tr-!"

"You did it, because you knew you were never going to be good enough for him. Only the losers and freak shows ever pretended to like you, because they _felt sorry for you._"

"Naruto and Lee don't feel sorry for me! They're my best friends!"

"Because you knew, deep down in your twisted little heart," continued the blonde kunoichi in an icy whisper, "that you were the slowest. The least talented. That your teammates would always leave you too far behind in the dust for you to ever catch up. You wanted a shortcut. And somehow, you found one."

"Shut up! You're lying!" shouted Sakura, feeling hot tears welling up in her eyes.

_No…not now, I can't let her think she's made me cry yet again…_

"I can see it just as easily as I see you're trying not to cry in front of me," remarked Ino coldly. "I know you, Sakura. I know your flaws, your habits. You can't tell me that Sasuke-kun really loves you and expect me to swallow it."

"He does! You're just…"

"I'm just what? _Jealous_? I'll admit, I am a bit impressed with your little scheme, I'll give you that. But you feel guilty. It's been plaguing you for a long time now. You know you did the wrong thing, but you're so wrapped up in your own little world you don't care if you might be hurting him by forcing him to say he likes you."

"I don't force him to do anything!"

"You know you do. Every time you kiss him, you force him to kiss you back, even if deep inside he might be breaking in half."

Sakura concentrated on keeping her tears of anger from spilling over rather than giving her rival a good retort. Ino smirked smugly at her.

"You're a greedy little witch. As long as you get what you want, it doesn't matter at all who gets in the way."

Sakura wiped her face with the back of her hand. She couldn't keep the waterworks on hold for long.

"You're wrong, Ino. You're wrong about him, about me!"

"Am I?" her rival hissed. "Then prove it. Prove me wrong."

"I think I will."

"I'd like to see that," shot back the Yamanaka. She made a quick hand seal, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura sank to her knees on the concrete floor, allowing her not-so-successfully held-back tears to come flowing out. It didn't help that every word Ino had said struck home. Somehow she had known every little thing going on in her head. Her fear of Sasuke ever telling her they weren't right for each other. Her insecurity about being left behind in terms of progress by her friends.

_How does she do it? How…? Can she read my mind?_

* * *

"Sakura?"

_That's strange…where is she?_

"Sakura? Where are you?"

Naruto and Sasuke had gotten worried after Sakura hadn't come back from going to "talk with someone." Naruto was watching Enka while Sasuke had gone out looking for her. Wondering if she had left for home, he was searching the streets that led to her apartment. So far, nothing.

A warm gust blew past his head, carrying the muffled sound of someone weeping.

_Wait…that's her voice!_

"Sakura?!" he shouted again, breaking into a run towards the whispered noise.

* * *

"Stupid…stupid…" Sakura muttered to herself after wiping her tears off with her hand. She didn't have the guts to face Sasuke again after what Ino had said, so she had left the post-festival party without telling anyone.

_Stop pitying yourself already!_ shouted her Inner.

"I can't help it…" she said to herself without thinking.

"You can't help what?"

Sakura flinched at the familiar voice. She stopped walking toward her apartment building and stood, unmoving.

"Is something wrong? I thought I heard you…"

She turned to face her beloved, not bothering to hide her red features streaked with tear tracks. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Sakura?! What's the matter?"

She couldn't look him in the eye, so she let her head droop until all she could see was the ground. That was quickly replaced by a wall of black cloth, as she realized he was giving her one of his protective hugs. His touch was as consoling to her as a warm blanket on a winter's day.

"Shhh, don't cry, Sakura…you can tell me…what's wrong?" he whispered in her ear. He could tell how upset she was.

"Sasuke-kun…" was all she could say before losing herself in his embrace, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"If it was some guy harassing you, I'll go beat his-"

"No, no Sasuke-kun, it wasn't that," she said hurriedly, managing to raise her head to make eye contact. His expression was soft and comforting, though she could see in his eyes his suppressed anger at not being able to fix what was making his Sakura so unhappy.

_If he's really faking it like Ino said, he's doing an amazing job…_

"Sasuke-kun, how much do you love me?" she blurted out, instantly receiving a loud reprimanding from her Inner.

_Stupid idiot! You let Ino-pig's words get to you! You complete and utter-_

"Sakura…" he murmured, gently stroking her hair. She completely melted inside every time he did that. For a moment, it seemed as though not even Ino could penetrate the invisible shield he created simply by putting his arms around her.

"You know the answer," he said after a few seconds. "I love you more than anything else in the universe. You're more precious to me than life itself. I'd do anything for you, and never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you. You constantly invade my dreams, and the only reason I ever want to wake up is because I know I'll see you again in reality."

She said nothing for several minutes, just stood silently with her arms around his torso and her head leaning on his chest. Then, in the tiniest of whispers, he caught her words as another gust blew them away in seconds.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun…Thank you."

* * *

Sorry Ino-lovers, but I hate her with a passion. Although if you read the summary, I don't know why you're still reading this...

And, YES! 3 Doors Down rocks my socks! (And he "cheated" by copying the motions with his Sharingan, DUH!)


	20. Do You Remember

**Chapter twenty: Do You Remember

* * *

**

"…And then she vanished and I…"

"You felt so bad about what she said you didn't want to talk to me?"

Sakura nodded. Sasuke lifted her chin up with his hand, looking her straight in the eye.

"Listen to me, Sakura. She had no right to do that. Nothing is your fault, she was trying to make you feel guilty for something you didn't do."

_But Sasuke-kun…I did do something…_

"She was just being a selfish toad. Although if I called her a snake, I think Manda would be offended."

_You don't get it, do you…if I told you about…back then, would you still love me?_

"I love you for you, and she's jealous. Next time just tell me and I'll keep her away from you. I want you to know I'll always be here for you."

_She'll think I'm weak…that I have to have you to hide behind…_

"Is that ok?"

She nearly started crying again. He was completely oblivious.

"Ok," she lied, faking a smile. His expression softened, changing from worry to relief.

_How much longer will I have to keep telling him everything's fine when it's really not?_

"Do you want to go back? Naruto dumped your little monster back on her parents, so you're free for the night."

She shook her head. "No…thanks for the offer Sasuke-kun, but I really don't feel like it…"

"I'll walk you home, then?"

"You don't need to, I'm a big girl you know," she said, faking another smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I—Hey! Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?! Put me down this instant!"

He only smirked at her. She pretended to push at him, although it's not every day he carried her bridal-style. It meant he really was concerned by her tears.

Several minutes later found him gently depositing her on the floor in front of her apartment building. A blushing Sakura poked her transporter in the forehead.

"Don't you ever do that again, young man. It's not respectable."

"I'm sorry, Haruno-san."

She smiled a little at his imitation of a badly behaved Academy student.

He placed a hand on her head and looked at her with a serious face.

"Are we all better now?"

"Yeah. I think so."

He smiled. "Good. I have to get back, the idiot wants something or other."

"Go have fun," encouraged Sakura. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams," he answered, giving her a light kiss on the forehead.

"They will be, 'cause you'll be in them."

He smirked again, and waved to her before vanishing in a swirl of smoke.

The façade of being cheered up was finally dropped. Sakura sighed, and pushed open the rusty door leading to the apartment stairwell.

* * *

_He really is too good for me…_ Sakura thought while unlocking her front door and pushing it open with noticeable ease. Because of Sasuke she had finally managed to clear out most of the books that had previously occupied almost the entire floor. He had spent an entire weekend, after officially moving back into Konoha, helping her stuff them into crates to be shoved into what little storage space she had. It wasn't so much about getting her apartment clean as it was about laughing together and sharing stories of what they had done in the years they had been apart. She had been delighted to see the secretly emotional boy she remembered was still inside him. 

_No matter what I do, he always says it's ok, things will get better…_

Stepping carefully around a few stray paperbacks that had somehow made it to the floor, she locked the front door behind her and closed the door to her bedroom.

Kneeling down next to her bed, she reached under it, and pulled at a wobbly nail in the hardwood floor. It yanked up the end of several loose floorboards, revealing a moderate-sized hole.

Reaching into this, she withdrew her hand, clutching a wooden chest half the size of a pillow. The same one she had brought with her when she had moved out of her parent's house.

She flicked open the metal lock with her finger, brushing off some of the accumulated dust with her other hand. The lid creaked at it opened, revealing the hidden objects inside.

She rifled through them, spreading some of the more important ones out on the floor. A simple woven bracelet decorated with plastic beads. A bright orange piece of glass that reminded her of her loudmouthed teammate. A spiky star-shaped shell found on a rare trip to the coastal beach. A messily written letter from a twelve-year-old boy. A slightly crumpled photograph of two children at their first-ever dance together. A gray cotton jacket emblazoned with the Uchiha fan on the back.

And, hidden under a false bottom in the wood, a tiny glass bottle filled with a sparkling pink fluid.

_This is what started it all,_ she thought, rolling it around in her hand and watching the light reflect off the frosty glass. _All that time ago…was it worth it?_

Good things about having done what she did: Sasuke treated her like a princess, Naruto discovered someone much better suited for him than his female teammate, Sasuke smiled more often, one of Konoha's most dangerous enemies was six feet under, Sasuke had someone to let his feelings out to, Hinata finally had her affections returned from Naruto, Sasuke wasn't a power-hungry psychopath…

_You're thinking about him the most again…_

Bad things about it: Ino hated her more than usual.

_I bet I sound so shallow only thinking about what she said…but I can't help it…I guess I knew she'd be jealous, but I never really thought about it. Would she have done anything other than criticize me? Probably not. Even if Sasuke did know about…it…we've been through so much together…he's different than he was, would it change anything between us?_

Sakura made up her mind. If he had promised his life to her, then he at least deserved to know how it had all started. She felt a weight she didn't even know she had been carrying lift off her shoulders.

"I'll tell him. I'll tell him everything," she murmured to herself. "Then let's see what Ino-pig can do about it."

* * *

"…So I says to the guy, yeah! I have crazy awesome ninja skills! I can totally take this! Unfortunately, you know how it turned out, I'm sure Sakura-chan and Emo Boy told everyone in the village about it…" 

Hinata giggled from her place next to Naruto on one of the few couches in the events room.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun…it's not your fault the dog had a taste for gunpowder,"

"But I mean, come on! He could have at least told me to put a lock on the door or something!"

Naruto watched the dark-haired kunoichi giggle at his retelling of one of Team Seven's missions involving Pomeranians and a shed full of fireworks. She was one of the few people who would sit through an entire narrative of how everything embarrassing seemed to happen to him and not his teammates and his refusal to believe that he was inflicting bad fortune on himself with his reckless behavior.

"I think the guy just wanted to see if I'd get blown up," he said, leaning closer to Hinata.

"I'm sure he did, Naruto-kun."

A groan came from the only other person occupying a seat across from them.

"Are you two going to start making out again?" complained Shikamaru.

"Eh, put a sock in it, lazy bum. It's a free country," retorted Naruto. "You're just jealous you don't have someone awesome like Hinata-chan."

A blushing Hinata stuttered and said, "Naruto-kun, I'm sure there's a very nice girl out there for Shikamaru-san. He just needs to be patient."

Naruto was about to give one of his infamous ballads about Shikamaru's hopeless love life when he noticed a flash of pink appear near the open entranceway.

"Hey, look! It's Sakura-chan! I thought Emo Boy said she'd gone home."

Sakura spotted him quickly and pushed through the crowd towards them.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I thought you-"

"Naruto, where is Sasuke-kun?" she interrupted. That was unusual.

"I don't know…but he was really upset a couple minutes ago…" answered Naruto.

"What are you talking about?"

"He came back after going to look for you," explained Hinata. "He was really angry, you see, and he said something to Yamanaka-san and they went outside…"

"What happened?" pressed Sakura.

"Emo Boy got totally ticked off at her," said Naruto, waving his hands for emphasis. "He was shoutin' and swearin' like Grandma Tsunade after losing another bet."

"He used some very bad words," mumbled Hinata.

"I don't think I've ever seen him that mad before. And that crazy Ino girl just stood there like a statue. Didn't say anything at all."

"What was he saying?"

"Uh…something, something…'with Sakura,' 'you're a…' s'more cursing, and then 'ever again and you'll be sorry.' What did she _do,_ I mean, how did she get him that angry? And where did he learn to cuss like that?"

"That's not important right now," said Sakura. "Do you know where he is?"

"Uh…outside somewhere…"

"Thanks," answered Sakura before vanishing back into the crowd of people.

"Wonder what that was all about…" murmured Naruto.

* * *

_Worthless little piece of…how dare she…_

These were Sasuke's thoughts about a certain blond kunoichi as he trudged towards the Uchiha district of Konoha. Several unsuspecting and rather unfortunate trees had been used to take out his frustration on the way there, resulting in a path of splintered wood and scattered leaves.

Only when he had seen his brother for the first time since the Uchiha massacre could he remember feeling so angry. Of course, he and Naruto always got riled up at each other, but that was normal. That crazy Ino girl had dared to lash out at someone he cared about. That was taking it too far.

_Yeah, I know she and Sakura hate each other and blah blah rivalry, blah blah psychotic fights…but doing that to Sakura is just…unacceptable…she made her cry, for Hokage's sake! She only does that when she's absolutely devastated now. Stupid ignorant ugly little pig-girl…_

Something interrupted his torturous train of thought. He glimpsed a flash of pink at the edge of his vision before it disappeared behind a building.

_Eh? Was that…?_

"Sakura? Is that you?"

No answer. Not knowing what else to do, he cautiously followed the fleeting sight of rose-colored hair. He was sure it was real when it showed up again, vanishing behind a wooden fence.

"Sakura?" he called out several times. Why wasn't she answering? It was her chakra signature, so it couldn't be anyone else…

After a long play of cat-and-mouse, he finally spotted her disappearing behind a wall that he knew led to a dead end. Her actions were making no sense at all.

Skidding around the wall leading into the one-way street, Sasuke abruptly stopped when he was greeted with a vision of Sakura standing over a white circle painted on the asphalt ground.

"Sa-!"

The Uchiha cut himself off when the rosy-haired kunoichi vanished before his eyes. There was no flash of light, no explosion, no swirl of leaves. She just disappeared.

"-Kura…?" he trailed off, staring at the white ring she had just been standing in. Was this some kind of teleportation jutsu?

She really had just gone. Her chakra signature was nowhere to be sensed.

_Did she…want me to follow her?_

Not knowing what else to do, Sasuke took a few cautious steps toward the chalky circle. It wasn't anything special, no designs or symbols. Just a pale loop.

He crouched down next to it, trying to discern any hidden seals or jutsu woven into the ring's design. There was nothing. To all appearances, it was just a white circle drawn with a stick of dusty paint.

Experimentally, he reached out and touched the very edge of the loop with his index finger.

* * *

"Emo Boy, what on earth are you-" 

Naruto stopped and stared. He had spent the last thirty minutes following his teammate out into the lesser-used parts of Konoha. He had been following Sasuke's chakra signature, because there was no way he was going to waste enough energy to keep up with him.

And the flaring chakra he knew so well had just disappeared.

* * *

Woo, suspense. A fangirly author's best friend.

And, in case you're wondering, how on earth could you live with the Sound Four for several years and NOT inherit Tayuya's impressive cursing vocabulary? Seriously, she's like the Energizer Bunny when it comes to mouthing off.


	21. Absolute Control

**Chapter twenty-one: Absolute Control

* * *

**

_"Sasuke-kun?"_

_A wandering Sakura attempted to peer through the gloom that surrounded her. A suffocating darkness obscured the path before and behind her footsteps leading back into the gloom. She turned her head slowly from side to side, a worried frown on her face._

_"Sasuke-kun? Where are you? Please…answer me…I'm scared…"_

_Sasuke watched her from above, desperate plans running through his mind. Somehow, he couldn't speak. Although in his head he was shouting to her, nothing audible came out of his mouth. If she just looked up, she could see him. Maybe if she did it would bring back his voice._

_He couldn't stand to see her looking so lonely and afraid. Even though she was a hardened shinobi, he thought she still looked so vulnerable all by herself. If he could only sink down to her from where he was apparently floating…_

_Wait a second…she wasn't scared-looking anymore. She was staring, with a wide smile at something in front of her. Sasuke followed her line of sight. And gaped._

_She was standing before a duplicate of the very one floating just above her head._

_Sasuke stared disbelievingly as his clone extended a hand toward Sakura. She squealed Sasuke's name and flung herself into the replica's arms._

_He tried to shout, "Sakura, what are you doing? I'm up here, that one's a fake!" but no sound came from him. He felt a sting pierce his heart when his clone kissed Sakura gently on the side of her neck and whispered, "It's ok, Sakura. I'm here."_

_"It's a fake!" he silently screamed. "Sakura, can't you tell this is an imposter?"_

_She would have a hard time discovering that, he admitted. Whoever or whatever this copy of him was, it was a perfect replica, down to the last detail. There was even a duplicate white necklace hanging around its throat._

_He felt a larger jab in his heart when Sakura gazed up at his reproduction with her big, watery eyes that begged to be comforted with tender embraces. It affected his twin the same way it did Sasuke, the blushing and cuddling of the pink kunoichi absolutely identical to what he would have done._

_"Don't worry," murmured the clone, letting one hand drop down to his side. Something black glittered in his fist when he wrapped it around Sakura's waist again. "I'll take care of you, sweetie."_

_"Sakura! He's got a knife!" screamed a hysterical Sasuke. "SAKURA!"_

_He could only watch in horror as his replica raised the blade until it was just above the back of her neck. He could see Sakura wince as the duplicate tightened its grip on her other hand._

_"Sasuke-kun, you're hurting me," she said weakly. Her head was resting on its shoulder, she couldn't see the kunai positioned just above her throat._

_"Good night, my love," said the clone in a cold, robotic voice._

_"Sakura! No!"_

* * *

"Sakura-a-a!" Sasuke shouted as he bolted upright from where he had been sitting on the ground. 

No Sakura. It was just a dream. Just a nightmare.

Eyes closed, he pressed a hand to his forehead as a wave of memories flooded his mind.

Sakura. Sakura singing. Her watching him onstage. Naruto being an idiot. Sakura crying. Telling him what Ino had said to her. Him trying to make her stop crying. Going back and yelling at Ino. Following Sakura all over Konoha.

Watching Sakura disappear into a circle on the ground.

_That was in Konoha…but where am I?_

This was most definitely not Konoha.

For a start, there were no buildings. Just trees, grass, and bushes. There was also no sign of the chalky circle. Or Sakura.

He made it to his feet, taking in every detail of his surroundings. By all appearances, it was a section of woodland, a common thing inside and outside the village.

_Why'd she come here? There's nothing special about this place…_

Well, if she really had wanted him to follow, the least he could do was comply.

Pulling out a kunai, he left it embedded in a tree trunk to mark the way back. "Sakura?" he called out, slowly walking into the darkened forest. The plant life instantly closed up behind him, making it seems like there was no chance of escape.

_Where are you?_

* * *

The trees and undergrowth abruptly gave way to a large clearing after what seemed like hours of exploring identical sections of the woods. There must have been a building stationed there at one time, but there were only ruins now. Several large, yet cracked pillars stood intact, but the rest was rubble. 

There was only a dim light coming from the moon overhead, but it still cast deep shadows over the oversized chunks of stone. Something flitted in and out of sight among the ruins. It was too far away to make out with such low visibility.

But there was a muted chakra signature coming from whoever or whatever it was, so it had to be someone with good chakra control, if not another shinobi.

Sprinting forward and stopping just inside the shadow of one of the pillars, Sasuke considered his options. Sakura was missing, which meant use anything and everything available to find her.

He leaned out of the shadow for just a moment, to see if the indistinguishable figure was anywhere within range. Nothing. The disguised chakra was still there, but where was it coming from?

A sudden surge of chakra from directly behind his pillar made Sasuke stiffen. Something had just released a massive amount of energy. He formed a few hands seals, and kept his chakra to a minimum as his body faded from sight, thanks to the jutsu. Without making a sound, he slowly crept around the side of the pillar, preparing for any kind of ambush.

There was no sign of any shinobi, even with his Sharingan activated. Nothing was hiding behind any genjutsu. There was only an ancient spread of tile that might have once been a floor, some crumbled stone and a statue facing the moon.

He stepped out into the open, keeping one hand on the pillar. Without the shadow to hide in, the illusionary jutsu wasn't as effective, but he would still appear to anyone else as a ghost, not a person.

Speaking of ghosts, the whole place felt like a graveyard. There was an aura of death hanging over the area, stripping away any warmth or comfort. Every inch of stone was icy cold to the touch.

Sasuke glanced at the statue, the last thing standing erect in the ruins. It looked like a stone reproduction of a noblewoman, because of its fancy robes.

A gust of chilly wind blew through the vicinity, ruffling what few strands of grass had poked up from beneath the stone. Sasuke held a hand up in front of his eyes to deter the strong breeze from his eyes.

It just might have been the wind, but the sculpture almost looked like it was moving…

Sasuke froze when the "statue" turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

He was even more shocked when he saw its face.

"_Sakura_?" he whispered, letting his genjutsu drop. "Sakura?!"

She didn't answer. Just as before.

"Sakura, what is this place? Why did you come here from Konoha?"

Silence.

"Sakura?"

The kunoichi's expression gave Sasuke a sense of unease. It was the only part of her that really did look like a statue. Her face was blank, her eyes half-closed.

_Almost like she was hypnotized or something…_

"How did-" started Sasuke, taking a step forward. Something yanked him back, and when he turned to look behind him, he saw that the surface of the pillar had engulfed his hand that had been resting on it.

"What the-?!"

Sakura stood and watched without a flicker of emotion as the rest of the stone immobilized a panicking Sasuke with rope-like lengths of rock, binding him to the pillar. Much like the technique Orochimaru had used on her and Naruto only a year ago.

"Sakura?! What is this?! What's going on?!"

_"Your infamous eyes can't see everything, I suppose."_

Sasuke flinched. He knew that voice. It wasn't coming from Sakura.

"You…what did you do to her?!" he shouted.

A cold chuckle. "_Nothing that will kill her._"

"Let her go…" demanded a furious Sasuke. "Yamanaka!"

* * *

"So it took you that long to figure it out?" said a smirking Ino as she emerged from the shadows of another pillar behind Sakura. 

Sasuke shivered at the sight of her. She looked like she'd been living in a cave for the past few years, even though she had seemed completely normal when he had confronted her just a few hours ago. Now, her hair was wild and unkempt and she had slightly torn clothing and cuts everywhere, not to mention a strange aura of something Sasuke faintly recognized.

"She was a bit of a tough one…" said Ino to herself, glaring at the unmoving Sakura while rubbing a scratch on her arm. "Took me quite a bit to catch her. But it was worth it in the end. Even if I did have to waste time using her to find out how much that stupid teammate of yours and his dumb little girlfriend knew…"

"You witch," growled Sasuke. "What have you done to her? Tell me!"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," said the kunoichi, shaking her head. "Don't tell me you've forgotten everything we learned in the Academy? It's merely a simple mind-body control technique. I distinctly remember you sitting in the classroom when they taught us about them." She grinned maniacally. "Little missy here will do anything I want her to."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura. So she was under a jutsu. That would explain a lot. But how could he break it?

"You can't stop it in that state," stated Ino. "Without being able to move, your all-perceiving eyes are useless."

_She's right…_

"I can make her do anything, so don't try to escape," Ino informed him when she noticed his struggling against the pillar. "If I wanted her to cut off her own hand, she'd do it."

_What?!_

"It doesn't have to be this way, Sasuke-kun," said Ino in a different, almost-pleading tone. Major attitude shift.

"Don't call me that, you toad," hissed the Uchiha.

"We can all go home and forget this ever happened," she continued, "If you do just one itsy-bitsy thing for little old me."

"…What do you want?" asked Sasuke reluctantly. Negotiations were the best way to go when dealing with freaks like this.

"I think you know," said Ino. "I want…your heart."

"You want my _what_?!"

"Don't play dumb," whispered Ino, back to her vicious attitude. "I want you, Sasuke-kun. I want HER to fade from the picture. I want it to be you and me. I want everything you've ever experienced with her."

"You want me to dump Sakura for _you_?" said a shocked Sasuke.

Ino smirked again. "In a way. Yes, I do."

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Not going to happen. I love her. You're insane."

Ino pouted like a little kid. "Oh dear. I was hoping you weren't going to make everything difficult."

She traced a strange shape in the air with one finger. Sakura's head jerked up, as if standing to attention. Sasuke gaped as she held up a kunai in one of her pale hands. The moonlight glinted faintly off the dark metal.

"Wait! Don't make her cut something off!" he shouted at Ino.

The blond smirked. "You needn't worry about her at all, Sasuke-kun. Her body will remain intact, for now at least."

Sakura walked toward him with a robotic march. Sasuke stiffened as she held the kunai only inches away from his face.

"It's your own skin I would be more worried about," said Ino, with just a hint of excitement in her voice.

Sasuke realized why her aura was so familiar. He'd felt it coming from his brother the night the clan had been murdered. That cruelty, that manic glee in suffering of any kind. He knew that aura well.

The aura of madness.

* * *

Aaaand here's the "murderous Ino" bit! Bwahahaha! 


	22. Realization

**Chapter twenty-two: Realization

* * *

**

A bead of cold sweat rolled down the back of Sasuke's neck as he considered his options. First and foremost, he needed to break out of these bindings. Then snap Sakura out of Ino's jutsu. Then take out the psycho kunoichi. It seemed so simple when explained like that.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, hoping to buy some time before anything drastic happened. "I know you like me, but why go this far?"

Ino gave him a strangely unnerving grin. "Oh no, no, Sasuke-kun. You see, you two were never meant to be. I know what happened that day, back when we were Genin. It was you that saved her from the ship. The Jounin were very clever, making us all think it was a giant bird. But it was you, wasn't it?"

Sasuke stiffened.

"I saw it, you two in the forest after we came back. I watched you change into _it_ again, so I knew, oh yes, I knew. You weren't the one who 'found her all by herself, alone in a cave.' It was quite a convincing story, though. But it couldn't stay that way, no. You should've just gone. Gone far away…"

_Yeah…she's totally lost it._

"You should've been dead!" Ino shouted, suddenly directed at the unnoticing Sakura. "You were supposed to just fall and fall and fall and then go SPLAT!"

Sasuke stared at Ino with a mixture of shock and fury. "It was you."

Ino didn't seem to notice his sentence at all, instead muttering, "And I go to all the trouble of learning to transmit thoughts into his precious little head, but no…"

"You're the one," Sasuke continued, his voice getting louder. "You're the one who pushed her over the cliff all those years ago!"

She noticed that, at least. "There was no other way…" she answered. "They would have found the body otherwise…but your little birdie-powers had to butt in…"

"You tried to kill her. You sick freak!"

"Yes!" shouted the blond. "But it wasn't the first. Oh, no. Maybe if that stupid old lady hadn't smashed up the wall, she'd already be gone…"

"What are you…?"

"It was her own invention, even! No taste, no smell. Just one drop. All it takes is too much skin contact and boom, down they go! But even after it was dropped in, they screwed up dumping it on her. She made it out alive, didn't she? And then you walked away with her, not a care in the world!"

"You put poison in whatever you were dropping on her at that dance?!" said a shocked Sasuke. "How could you try to take her life _twice_?"

"It's ever so easy," Ino said to him with the same creepy grin. "You should know. You've killed more people than I have."

She marked out another shape in the air, and Sakura lowered her knife, much to Sasuke's relief. This was short-lived though, because Ino herself came trotting up to him.

"Don't touch me," he snapped at her when she placed a hand on his chest.

"Your pulse says you're nervous," she mumbled, smirking at him.

"Get your slimy little paw off of me. Now."

"Sasuke-kun, what's the matter? I thought you loved me," she cooed in a voice that sounded strangely like Sakura's. To Sasuke, suddenly her hair seemed so much pinker and her eyes so much greener…

He shook his head to dispel the genjutsu, and glared at her with his Sharingan activated. "Don't try to trick me."

"Oh, you're no fun. You always were so serious."

"There is nothing remotely fun about any of this!" he shouted in her face. "Let me go, let Sakura go, and maybe Tsunade can get you some help from the medics, because you're nothing but insane!"

"Am I, Sasuke-kun?" she murmured, moving her hand up to his collarbone. He shivered in disgust.

"Stop this. There is no way I'm leaving her for you," he spat.

"Don't be so mean," she said softly. "After all I've done for you."

"What on earth do you think you've done other than kidnap me and demand my attention for yourself?!"

"Sasuke-kun," she sighed, "even after I was going to save you from that mean old ANBU with the battle-axe…"

"You screamed. And fainted."

"It wasn't a faint," she explained, laying her other hand on his shoulder and moving even closer to him. "I had it all set up, you see. I shoot my soul out at the one with the axe, and instead cut your chains. Then you run away, and we become something a little more than friends...But your frog-loving idiot had to go and make me miss…"

Sasuke's stomach lurched. She was unbearably close to him now. The second he broke out of these bonds, she was going to need more than just a few bandages. He longed to use his Mangekyou Sharingan on her, but research done by Tsunade had revealed its lethal side-effects. He couldn't afford to go even one step closer to becoming blind.

"I hate you," he snarled at her. "You dare to endanger people I care about."

"You don't hate me, Sasuke-kun," said Ino, ignoring his glare of fury when she ran her fingers through his hair. "You're mine."

Sasuke cut back another retort when she removed one hand to sketch another symbol. Sakura raised the knife again, causing Sasuke's heart to beat faster.

It stopped pulsing completely when she brought the kunai against not his throat, but her own.

"No…" he whispered. "No, you can't…"

"You don't hate me," said Ino again. She traced another shape, and Sakura ran the blade over the skin just below her neck. A thin red line appeared, and only seconds later a single drop of blood oozed from it.

"Stop it!" Sasuke shouted. "Don't touch her!"

"You don't hate me…do you, Sasuke-kun? You know the minute you say you do, she'll go bye-bye."

"No…please…don't hurt her…"

"Do you hate me?" asked Ino a third time, drawing another shape and snapping her fingers.

Sasuke noticed Sakura's face change. It was just a flicker at first, but then she blinked rapidly and met his eyes with a surprised look, as if she had just woken up.

"Sasuke-kun? Wha-…what's going on?"

"Quiet," snapped Ino, tracing the air again. Sakura's hand held the knife against her neck again of its own accord.

"What? I can't move!" she said with wide, fearful eyes. "Sasuke-kun? I…I'm bleeding?"

"Sakura…just do as she says…" said Sasuke, craning his head as far away from Ino's as humanly possible. "Please…just do it…"

"Good boy," said a smirking Ino. Turning to Sakura, she grinned at her triumphantly. "He's mine now, Billboard Head."

"Ino-pig?! Let go of Sa—OW!" she shouted when another air-sketch produced another red line over her already-healing first. "Oww…"

"Stop…" said Sasuke, wincing at Sakura's pain. "Please."

Ino returned her attention to him. "Do you hate me?"

He gazed sadly at Sakura, at her fright at having her own hand hold a knife to her throat. He hoped she could read the "I'm sorry" his eyes sent her.

"…No." he reluctantly murmured with a pained heart. "I don't."

"Don't do this for me!" shouted Sakura. "Don't give up y—Ah!"

Sasuke flinched again. "I don't hate you, now let her go."

"But Sasuke-kun, if I did that, you're turn on me in a minute now, wouldn't you?" stated Ino.

_She's a mind reader…_

"Do you love me? Just keep in mind, when she's caught like this, anything you do to me magnifies onto her. You knock me out, and she gets a nasty little bump on her brain."

_She'd give her a brain aneurysm?!_

"I want you to swear," continued Ino. "Swear on your clan, your family name."

Sasuke flinched again. The blond knew that was the one oath he couldn't go back on. In his mind he cursed her a hundred times more than he actually had earlier.

"I…" he murmured.

"Don't do it, Sas—Ow!"

"I swear…" he continued, wincing, "On my clan, the Uchiha, that I experience no negative feelings toward Ino Yamanaka."

"And…? Say it," hissed his captor.

"And that I…" Sasuke gulped, and gave Sakura another sorrowful glance.

"Sasuke-kun…" she half-whispered.

"I love her."

"And not Billboard Head," added the blond kunoichi.

"And…not Sakura," Sasuke managed to choke out. If it had been only him, he never would've sworn such a vow, but with Sakura in danger…

Ino snapped her fingers again. Her control over Sakura's body was temporarily dropped. Sakura's hand clenching the kunai dropped to her side as she fell to her knees, hiccupping repeatedly.

"If you tell _anyone _about this," Ino threatened, "I'll kill you without a second thought. All it takes is a simple click, and down you go."

"Sasuke-kun…" was all the pink-haired kunoichi could manage between sobs. "How could you, Ino…how could you?"

"Go back," spat the blond, ignoring her question. "The teleportation circle back to Konoha is back in the forest. You'll find it. Now GO. Or else."

_I'll think of a way out of this,_ Sasuke tried to relay telepathically to Sakura as she trudged mournfully out of the clearing. _I won't let her win so easily. You're still my only love._

The moment Sakura disappeared among the trees, the stone holding Sasuke captive cracked and disintegrated. Ino pulled him away from the clearing by the arm.

"I know a much better spot than this, _Sasuke-kun._ You can see the stars and everything. It's _tr__é__s_ romantic."

_Sakura, I'll come back to you if it's the last thing I do._

* * *

_What should I do…What CAN I do? Sasuke-kun needs me, why can't I come up with anything?!_

Sakura crumpled up yet another flawed plan on paper and tossed it at the growing pile in the corner of her room. She'd spent nearly every waking second back in Konoha attempting to devise ways to save Sasuke from Ino. So far, nothing seemed to work.

_If only I could tell someone about this…Shikamaru, maybe…or even Naruto…but who would believe me? Naruto might, but convincing anyone else would take forever…_

She rested her head in her hands. Everything seemed so hopeless.

_Sasuke-kun…what should I do? What would you do in my place? Uh…probably something reckless…no, that's not going to help…_

He'd probably try to take on Ino himself, no matter the risk.

_But…at least there's now way he'd ever really start to like her…she's completely insane…maybe he's already trying to bring her down, right now! Yeah, he'd do that…then he'd come back, and tell me it's ok, she's gone forever…_

Every possible outcome played itself in Sakura' head, from the ANBU showing up and taking Ino into custody, to everyone dying a horrible death. That was the one result they couldn't afford to let happen.

As she reached for another sheet of paper for yet another failing strategy, her pen clattered to the floor and rolled under her bed. Swearing under her breath, Sakura got down on her knees and felt around for it. Her hand stopped when she felt something hard and pointy.

_What's this…? A nail?_ she thought, staring at the object her hand retrieved. _But…the only loose nails in this part of the floor are…_

She reached back under her bed, and felt around for the only other thing that was supposed to be there. One of the nails was missing from the loose floorboards.

She lifted up the wood, and retrieved her special box. On some areas, there were circular spots without any dust. Recent fingerprints.

With shaking hands, she flipped open the rusty latch. The objects inside were lain carefully on the carpeted floor as Sakura dug towards the false bottom.

She sat there, cross-legged on the floor as the light bulb in her lamp buzzed softly. The false bottom to her box clenched in her hand, she only had two words echo through her mind as she stared at the little wooden chest in front of her.

_She knew._

Where there should have been the rosy sparkle of liquid behind glass, there was nothing.

The tiny bottle that had shaped her entire life was gone.

* * *

Guess I can't really say much here without giving away the rest of the plot...

Ok, this will be the last chapter for a while, most of the others were already written by the time I got this account, so I'll try to stick to "one new chapter a week," how does that sound? And a special thanks goes out to Flowerpearl and Mushraluvr for their reviews, even if I got a death threat more than once, they still made me smile. You all rock! Shannaro!


	23. Existence

**Chapter twenty-three: Existence **

* * *

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"

Sakura banged on her teammate's front door, not caring if it disturbed the surrounding residents. Which it would, considering it was only a few hours after midnight.

"Naruto, get out here NOW, I need your help!"

The door slowly swung open and a blond head appeared from behind it. Naruto blinked once, then noticed Sakura had changed back into her normal clothes.

"Wha?" he mumbled, still half-asleep. "Grandma wants a mission done _now?_"

Sakura shook her head. "No, listen, Naruto. It's about Sasuke-kun."

That woke him up. "Eh…wha' 'bout 'im?"

* * *

"…And of course we'll invite the Naras to the reception, won't we, _Sasuke-kun_?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. The homicidal blond had gone from being psychopathic to just plain unbearable. She had even been planning their "wedding" for the past hour. If there hadn't been Sakura to think of, Sasuke probably would've stabbed her just to shut her up.

"What's the matter, sweetie? You look unhappy," said Ino from her seat on a mossy boulder next to the aggravated Uchiha.

_I can't take much more of this. I'm going to go insane,_ he thought.

"Are you still mad at me, honey?"

_Call me "honey" ONE more time, and I will not hesitate to strangle you._

Sasuke fought the rising nausea in his stomach as Ino tried and failed to act cute and innocent by holding his hand and calling him things like "darling" and "sweetheart."

"You're mad, I knew it. Just forget all about old Billboard Head. I promise I'll more than make up for her."

_You disgusting leech. Nobody could ever take her place._

He barely managed to keep from snapping when he felt her mouth on his cheek. The second she looked away, he scrubbed vigorously at the contaminated spot with his sleeve.

_Her chakra has to have limits…there has to be a point where her control over Sakura will drop, if only for a nanosecond. When it does…she's going to wish she'd never been born._

"Is it so wrong to want a little love, _Sasuke-kun_?"

_If the one you want belongs to someone else, then yes!_

"N…no."

"Then why do you keep pushing me away? I only want to know you better. I want to make you happy."

_If you wanted that, you wouldn't have tried to kill the person I love!_

"Do you want me to be happy?" she asked, feigning innocence.

_Drop dead._

"…Yes," he lied.

"Then…" she murmured, ignoring Sasuke's flinch as she scooted closer to him, "how about…"

_Oh god no._

"No," he murmured, giving Ino his iciest glare.

"Huh?"

"I'm not going to kiss you."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," she pretend-giggled. "You make such silly jokes."

"I mean it. You can threaten me all you want, I'm not doing it."

Another murderous twitch flickered across her face. "You will. Or she dies."

"Then what, tell me that. If you kill her, I'll make sure you go the same way. Only she'll go to heaven and you'll writhe forever in the underworld, you revolting freak."

She didn't retreat, even after a direct death threat.

"You'll do it," she whispered. "You can act tough, but she's your weakness, isn't she? You won't lift a finger against me as long as her life's on the line."

_Mind-reading powers…_

"I promise I'll make it worth your time if you do, Sasuke-kun."

_Yeah, and afterwards I'll go jump in a vat of acid. Sounds fun._

Sasuke's sarcastic train of thought was interrupted by his sensing another chakra signature beside Ino's and his own.

_What the-?! No! I told you to go back! Stay away, she'll kill you if she knows you're here!_

"Oh dear," murmured Ino. "It would be so much nicer if we were alone now, wouldn't it?"

"Sakura, run!" shouted Sasuke without turning his head, not wanting to give away her location. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who knew where she was hiding.

* * *

Sakura's head jerked up when she heard Sasuke shout her name. She dropped the paper bombs she had been setting when her vision met Ino's icy stare. The blond kunoichi's fingers moved in a strange pattern in the air, and a second later Sakura fell to her knees, clutching her head. The branch she had been hiding behind crashed to the ground, leaving her in full view of the other two.

Ino made another air-sketch, and the searing pain behind Sakura's eyes was accompanied by vivid images only she could see, and even feel.

_Sasuke's hand clenched around her throat, pinning her against an unseen wall. His powerful grip choked off any possibility of breathing, let alone screaming._

"Ah! No, Sa-Sasuke-kun…Stop, please!" she cried, her hands scrabbling at something invisible around her neck.

"Sakura! Stop this, Yamanaka!" shouted Sasuke, grabbing Ino by the shoulders. "Whatever you're doing to her, stop it!"

_His hand was snowy, both in temperature and in color. Sakura's weakening field of vision traveled slowly up to his face. To his yellow eyes framed by streaks of purple._

"Gaaaah…What have you done with Sasuke-kun?!" she continued, coughing violently.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted again, jumping up from where he was seated to run to her side, only to be held back by a tiny yet forceful hand on his wrist.

"_Sasuke is dead," hissed a voice Sakura wished she could forget. "He made quite a satisfying vessel, though."_

"Let me go!" growled Sasuke at Ino, attempting to shake off her hold. "Sakura! It's just genjutsu! Can you hear me?"

"_No, he's not go-gone, he can't b-be…" Sakura managed to gasp as the grip around her neck tightened._

She managed to raise her head, bits and pieces of reality breaking through the illusion. Her vision was a combination of shattered images of both Ino's jutsu and what was really happening. She saw Sasuke attempting to escape Ino's grasp one second, the next Orochimaru in his body throttling out what little oxygen she had left.

"_He's dead…and you're going to join him," hissed the Sanin._

Ino, one hand firmly clasped around her captive's wrist, slowly reached behind her, her hand withdrawing something glimmering from her shuriken pouch.

_Sakura could see the real Sasuke, a ghostly image appearing behind the snake ninja. "Sakura…why didn't you save me?" it asked, its voice full of torment. "Why didn't you come for me, Sakura? I thought you said you loved me…"_

Ino's hand flicked open the tiny cap of her retrieved container, even as Sakura sobbed repeatedly, "I'm sorry…I tried…"

"_You couldn't save him," jeered the snake Sanin. "You were too weak, even when he needed you most."_

"Sakura! Just release it! It's not real!" shouted Sasuke again. Sakura's eyes were riveted to his captor, one eye clenched shut and one wide open as a drained glass shattered on the rock on front of her.

"_You promised me you'd do anything for me, Sakura!" continued the anguished voice. "Why didn't you rescue me? You were my last hope, and you let me down!"_

"Sasuke-kun!" she screamed as Ino unexpectedly jerked on Sasuke's wrist, yanking him roughly back towards herself.

As it always seemed to do during a critical moment, time slowly decelerated until every passing second seemed to take ten times as long to go by.

Sakura shouted Sasuke's name again, though it seemed to linger in multiple echoes through the night air.

Sasuke's face showed surprise at Ino's actions, his eyes widening as he lost his balance due to her sudden pull.

Ino grabbed his shoulder as he fell back, her other hand pulling his head towards hers as she closed her eyes.

Sakura's heart stopped beating, not from injury, but from shock as she stared openmouthed.

Ino, a sparkling liquid dripping from her mouth, wrapped her other arm around Sasuke's head and crashed her lips against his.

* * *

Time slowly ground to a halt.

Sakura gawked in disbelief.

Sasuke's wide, half-furious eyes lost their alert spark, and drooped sleepily as his tensed body slowly went slack. After a moment, his eyes closed completely.

_Sa…Sasuke-kun?! No…no, he can't be…!_

Ino, knowing Sakura's shocked gaze was on the two of them, smiled self-righteously through her kiss with the one Sakura loved.

What Ino couldn't see was Sasuke's hand coming up, though she could feel its weight when he placed it on her shoulder.

And without warning, he grunted and shoved her violently in the opposite direction.

Sakura gaped at Ino as she lay on her stomach several meters away from where she had been a second ago, then back to a very much awake Sasuke, who was spitting and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"S…Sasuke-kun?" Sakura tentatively called out.

_Wasn't he supposed to…pass out from that stuff?_

Sasuke glanced back at her, then reached for something behind his ear.

Sakura froze as he seemed to pull his own face off. The pale skin came away easily in his fingers.

It was a mask.

_Wait a minute…_

She stared confusedly at the exposed face.

It was still Sasuke. A grinning Sasuke Uchiha.

"A little trick I learned from Orochimaru," he explained, tossing the rubbery material behind a bush. He then turned back to Sakura and murmured, "C'mere."

Sakura scrambled to her feet and stumbled towards him, half-falling into his arms as he hugged her affectionately.

"How did you know?" was the first thing she asked.

"You told me," he answered. "In a dream. You were crying, you were afraid I wouldn't love you anymore if I knew."

"I'm sorry…I should've told you…"

"Shhh, it's ok," he said softly, twirling a lock of pink hair around his finger. "I'm happy you did what you did."

"You…you are?" she said questioningly.

"'Course. Without you to think of, who knows where I would've ended up? Probably insane, or maybe even dead. I most likely would've gone chasing after my brother or something…and leave you and Naruto behind, thinking only of myself. You saved me from that future."

"You make me sound so heroic," said Sakura, smiling a little.

"I do, don't I? Come on, let's go home," recommended Sasuke, taking Sakura's hand and glancing back at the unconscious Ino. "We'll let the ANBU deal with h-"

Sakura stopped walking when Sasuke's voice was suddenly cut off.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said, turning around in time to see him fall to his knees. "Sasuke-kun?!" she exclaimed worriedly, quickly crouching beside him and squeezing his hand.

"Par…al…" he rasped. She got the message. 'Paralysis.'

"You're DEAD!" shrieked a high-pitched voice, as Sakura was tackled to the ground away from Sasuke. Ino held a kunai against her neck with that same bloodthirsty expression as before.

"I'll just kill you now, and get it over with," she snarled at Sakura. "You're too much trouble to keep alive."

Sakura, tired of being helplessly pushed around, gave Ino a knee to the stomach and rolled into a crouch when the blond doubled over and glared at her.

"It's over, Ino-pig," stated Sakura. "If you just stop now, you'll get a less harsh sentence that you will if you keep going."

"Shut UP!" spat Ino. "You know nothing! You think you're good enough for him, don't you?! You're not!"

"She…is…" came Sasuke's voice. Ino glanced at him as he lay on his side, watching the two of them. "You might…be able to par-…-alyze even th-…the Jounin, but…you'll never be…as valuable as…her…"

Ino turned back to Sakura, only to be met in the face with her own kunai Sakura had taken from right out of her hands.

"Thanks for the distraction, Sasuke-kun," she said. "Ino, just give up. Please. I don't want to have to hurt you."

The blond giggled unnervingly, even though she had cold, sharp metal only inches away from her face. "You might not be willing to…but I am!"

She produced her own knife, and Sakura jumped back to avoid a slash aimed at her stomach.

Without seeming to move, Ino was suddenly less than a foot away from Sakura. She swung at her with her kunai, which Sakura parried with her own.

There was a flash of metal, and Sakura felt a sharp pain just below her left eye. Wincing, she placed a hand on her cheek and felt a not-so-shallow cut. Only a few centimeters higher and it would've taken out her eye.

Ino stood back, holding her bloodstained kunai in front of her.

"You'll die here," she hissed. "Nobody will ever ha-"

She was cut off as Sasuke, the paralysis worn off, appeared behind her and, faster than the eye could follow, twisted her knife-holding hand behind her back.

There was a poof of smoke, and he was left holding a cross-shaped piece of wood, which he dropped, instead rushing to help Sakura up.

"Come on," he said, letting her lean on him for support. "She's making a run for it."

"She'll go to Konoha," said Sakura, keeping one hand on her cheek, sending healing energy into the wound. "She'll think she can go back just once more and be out of there before we tell them about her."

"…But you already thought of that, didn't you?" he said, smiling a little. "That's my girl. Always thinking three steps ahead. Let's go, before they get too enthusiastic and don't leave any for us."

* * *

"It's nothing lethal," concluded Tsunade. "There might be a scar, but that can be fixed."

Sakura nodded, trying to ignore the itchy bandage the Hokage had placed over her gash from Ino's knife.

"Any reports of her?" she inquired, glancing at Sasuke and knowing he wanted an answer as well.

Her plan had partially worked. Naruto had convinced Tsunade that one of Konoha's shinobi had gone rogue, and needed to be restrained when she appeared from within a designated area (the chalky circle.) Several ANBU and a handful of Jounin had taken off after Ino when she fled from the place, thanks to Tsunade's deployment. She had reportedly made it out of the village, and was being pursued into the surrounding countryside.

Tsunade lowered her head and turned around, pretending to be extremely interested in the opposite wall. After a few second, she spoke.

"Actually…yes. Our squad followed her to the end of this region's plateau…the cliff area…"

_Where she tried to kill Sakura,_ thought Sasuke bitterly.

"And…" Tsunade trailed off.

Sakura's eyes widened. "She…she _jumped_?!"

"…I'm afraid so. They retrieved the body…well, what's left of it…DNA testing shows it's hers, all right. She'd dead."

"Oh…" said Sakura. Despite the numerous times she had tried to kill her, all Sakura could remember at that moment was the little blond girl that had been her friend back in the Academy.

A few tears rolled down her face, some soaking into Tsunade's itchy bandage. Sakura felt comforting arms coil around her as Sasuke's voice whispered in her ear.

"Screw the twenty-fifth rule. Cry if you want."

And so, as Sakura stood there crying into Sasuke's shoulder, in the back of her mind, she wondered if somehow it could've been different. Maybe it could've turned out better than this.

And maybe she was never meant to know.

* * *

**—END OF PART TWO—**

* * *

Ok, part 2 is officially over, peoples! Part 3 is several more years in the future...guess everyone is early-twenty-ish. Anyways, they're all Jounin. Here comes the final (yes, there will only be 3 parts) adventure, so look forward to it!

And BTW, Ino's dead. She's not coming back. Deal with it. I hate her too much to let her live. Nyah.

Love you all for reviewing! Hearts!


	24. Taking The Initiative

**--PART THREE--**

* * *

**Chapter twenty-four: Taking The Initiative**

* * *

"Too short, for one thing. You're definitely too short. And your skin looks like you haven't taken care of it for, like, _years._ You could do with a good treatment, I mean, if you're a ninja you can afford it, right? Aren't you guys like, rich or something?"

Sakura groaned in exasperation. Two and a half hours of being criticized without mercy by one lord's six daughters would wear down even Ibiki. And it didn't help that every one of them seemed to have eagle eyes for the tiny little things that really carried no importance when you were fighting for your life on a suicidal mission.

"And you don't take very good care of yourself," said one of the older ones, scrutinizing her pony-tailed hair. "Look at all those split ends. It probably feels like straw when you touch it."

"You could be a real catch if you tried a bit harder."

"And that ugly scar, ew! Couldn't you get it removed or something?" sneered another.

_Tsunade-sama!_ screamed Sakura's Inner. _What's taking so long with those negotiations?! These idiots are driving me nuts!_

"The sad part is, you've got a pretty sweet build," continued another. "But you've got to learn to show it off. A little more effort and all the boys would be wrapped around your finger."

"Sorry, but that would be unprofessional," Sakura answered, giving that particular daughter her most plastic-looking smile. She wanted to scream at them about her already-obtained relationship status, but Tsunade had ordered them all to be on their absolute best behavior. However, it seemed she herself would always shatter the rules of etiquette in the most dramatic ways possible. Hokages got all the job perks.

_Why am I always stuck with the spoiled, shallow noble's kids? Naruto and Sasuke-kun are in there with Tsunade-sama discussing "important matters," and I'm sitting here on my tush, being "examined" by these airheads. It's not fair!_

"Professional, bleah," retorted the daughter that had previously spoken. "Don't most of you girls' missions involve charming people into giving up information?"

"We only get those during wars," replied Sakura, resisting the urge to behead all six of them then and there. Her Inner's sadistic side had already kicked in a long time ago. Using an axe would be too conspicuous, but a nice, curved sickle might do the trick…

"Wars schmars, it's still no excuse to walk around with so much potential just going to waste," announced yet another. "You wouldn't even need that much work, just a little touch-up here and there…"

_Is that supposed to be a compliment? I'm gonna lose it! What is taking you guys so long?!_

The gods were being merciful today. The door to the room creaked open, with a blond head poking around from behind it.

"Oi, Sakura-chan. His stuffiness—I mean _lordship_—wants you in here."

"Thank _god_, " murmured Sakura, happily leaving her company behind as she followed Naruto back to the negotiations room.

"Why couldn't he just let me in there in the first place?" she mumbled irritably.

Naruto shrugged innocently. "He's a chauvinist old geezer. He almost refused to see us if Grandma was there, until we introduced her as the Hokage and she introduced one of his guards to her fist. It was kinda bloody, but she healed the guy to show we weren't going to attack them or something like that."

Sakura chuckled. "That's just like her. She'd better not do too much damage this time…"

She and her hyperactive teammate finally reached the negotiations room's door, very old timber carved with images of swords and reed pens signing endless scrolls of paper. Naruto rapped the wood politely, and it was a few seconds before a raspy "Enter" was heard issuing from within.

The blond pushed open the groaning door, followed by Sakura as he entered the spacious negotiations hall.

Tsunade and Sasuke were seated cross-legged on mats around a carven table with various sheets of paper scattered across its scratched surface. Naruto and Sakura assumed their positions, waiting out of respect until the old lord, sitting by the head of the table, spoke first.

"Shinobi of the Leaf village," the old, graying man rasped. "Your Hokage and I have come to a decision. Lady Tsunade, you inform them of the details."

Tsunade shifted in her seat. "You three, we've been commissioned by his lordship to escort his eldest daughter to the Land of Locusts for an arranged marriage to the son of another noble. Unfortunately, this family's relations with the Land of Locusts shinobi are…less than friendly. This will be considered a B-rank mission if you choose to accept. You'll most likely come under attack from at the very least Chunin-level ninja, but," she said, folding her arms and looking each of them in the eye, "I think you all can handle it."

"Of course, Lady Hokage" they said in unison, as she had instructed earlier.

"A bit young to be so eager for a painful death, aren't they?" muttered the old lord, scratching his chin. "So be it." He called for a servant, ordering "Send in Kurumi."

The servant scurried off, and reappeared with…

The daughter that had insulted Sakura's scar. The one just below her eye she kept as a memorial to a long-dead kunoichi. Sakura twitched angrily.

The daughter Kurumi shot her back a glare just as venomous as Sakura's before turning to her father. "Yes, sir? You summoned me?"

"Daughter, these three will be your escorts to the home of your betrothed. Another Jounin will be joining them as well, and I expect you to respect and obey them."

"Yes, father."

_She's such a bad liar…_

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all caught the demonic grin she flashed them when the old lord turned back to Tsunade.

Sakura glanced at her teammates questioning looks and slowly shook her head. She'd explain later.

"Then it's settled," announced Tsunade, catching their attention. "You three are to escort his lordship's daughter safely from the Leaf to her destination in a city called Kogane. You know the risks involved."

"We accept, Lady Hokage," they said again in unison.

"Our work here is done," said Tsunade while getting up and opening the room's door, flanked by the Team Seven shinobi. "Thank you for your time, sir."

Sakura forced herself not to glance back over her shoulder at Kurumi, instead glaring maliciously at the back of Naruto's head.

"She's not worth it, Sakura."

Sakura flinched. Sasuke had gotten better at picking up her mood vibes over the years. He could tell if she was angry, upset, happy or scared.

"Whatever she did, she's just a civilian. You could beat her to a pulp any day."

Sakura smiled a little. "Thanks," she whispered back.

"Can it till we get out of here, you two," said Tsunade.

Sakura pretended to pout. "You're forgetting who's paying for your sake later, Tsunade-sama?"

The other two tried not to laugh at the almighty Hokage's twitch. Sakura had known her long enough to have her wrapped around her finger.

"And Naruto's paying for his own ramen this time," continued the pink-haired kunoichi. "Last time we agreed to pitch in we all ended up doing dishes for the rest of the night."

"Hey, come on, Sakura-chan! I was hungry!"

"You eat like the Akimichi clan. Idiot," mumbled Sasuke.

"Wha'chu say, moron?! I'll show you h-"

"Naruto, what did Tsunade-sama tell you about keeping quiet?"

"But…I thought you…"

"No buts!"

"You're mean, Sakura."

"Yes. Yes I am. Thanks for noticing."

"She got it from the Sitting Duck over there."

"…You're lucky you're cute, Uchiha."

* * *

"Another mission? Sounds exciting."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, totally. It's just like old times, eh Iruka-sensei? Except this time we'll be expecting attacks, instead of them just randomly showing up on C escort missions." He scratched the back of his head in thought. "Y'know…that seemed to happen a lot. Once is ok, but two, three, four…eh, I lost count. Anyways, it's gonna be sweet, and we get to kick butt as well!"

Iruka smiled at the restless blond, remembering all the times he'd taken a loudmouthed Genin to this exact same ramen stand they were situated in. Though now, they were equals. Iruka had just managed to scrape by on the Jounin rank tests, and Naruto and his team had passed with flying colors only a year afterwards. Their progress as shinobi astounded even Tsunade.

"So…the Land of Locusts, is it? You know why they call it that?"

Naruto blinked. "Uh…lots of bugs?"

"Partially. You'll probably hear this all again from Sakura later, but that land used to be a tropical rainforest hundreds of years ago, with fertile soil many farmers envied because it produced a surplus of food. Then, according to records, a gigantic swarm of locusts devoured everything in just a few years, leaving it a barren wasteland. Anyone tough enough to survive out there shouldn't be underestimated."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

Iruka thought of the Genin Naruto's possible reaction. Something along the lines of "So what? I'll take every one of them on and win, just you wait!" As unbelievable as it sounds, he had matured a lot in the past nine years since becoming a shinobi.

"So, uh…Iruka-sensei…"

"Heh, no deal, Naruto. You've got the same pay I do now. You can afford your own food this time."

"Aww, man! No fair! Why does everybody want me to do my own stuff now?!"

* * *

"How about…dissection?"

"Nah. Only you could handle all the blood and gore. The idiot would probably faint in approximately five seconds."

"Hung, drawn and quartered."

"Too time-consuming. And again, too many splurging body parts."

"Blood-eagle torture?"

"Getting closer…"

"Hey, guys!" shouted Naruto, appearing beside his teammates. "'Sup?"

Sakura waved at Naruto from where she was leaning against a tree. Sasuke smirked a little with folded arms.

"Hey, idiot. We're discussing ways for Sakura to punish Kakashi for being late for the three thousandth time in a row."

"I was thinking target practice," murmured Sakura, tapping her chin. "Or maybe we could be nostalgic and tie him to a post with no food…"

"…And eat something good in front of him!" laughed a grinning Naruto. "Sounds fun."

"How about we _not_?" said Kakashi's voice form up a tree.

Sakura crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What's your excuse this time, sensei?" she demanded, glaring up at the ever-late Jounin, who still held an open orange paperback in front of his obscured face.

"Well, you see, there was a man trying to get a stubborn horse to pull its plow through a field, and…" he started.

"…And?" pressed Sakura.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Uh…well, you see…actually, I never really get past that much. You and Naruto are usually yelling at me to save it by then."

Sakura and Naruto's mouths dropped open. "Wow," the both said, gaping.

Sasuke chuckled softly. "Moron."

Kakashi closed his orange book, stowing it in his weapons pouch. "Well, I guess we'd better head out to the old castle. His lordship's daughter is waiting to emotionally demolish you, at least until we drive off some hoards bent on ripping us apart. No pressure."

Naruto pumped his fist in the air enthusiastically. "Oh yeah! Come on, guys, let's go! I wanna get in some action on this one!"

"Slow down, Naruto. You're a Jounin of the Leaf Village, try to act more professional."

"And I suppose you're a good example, sensei? All you do is sit around reading that book. That can hardly be called professional," stated Sakura.

She grinned and flashed her teammates the victory sign when Kakashi didn't answer.

_Some things never change…_ thought Kakashi, walking behind his former students as they passed through the village gate.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Keep up or you'll be left behind!"

"You're one to talk, idiot. You're going more slowly than a snail on LSD."

"Oh, yeah?! I bet I could reach that big ol' castle first!"

"I'll take that bet."

"Hey…Hey, you two! Get back here! I'm telling Tsunade-sama about this!"

_Yep…some things never change, all right._

* * *

Sorry for making you all wait! I had many, many projects due this week! Forgive me!

more reviews thanks: waveblader 213 and LxI-LxM-4eva- Formerly Lillayy

Thanks or your awesomesauce reviews! Hearts to you all!

japanese lesson: "kogane" means "gold"


	25. Insight? Empathy?

**Chapter twenty-five: Insight? Empathy?

* * *

**

"So…how much gel do you use? Or does your head naturally look like a dog-pee yellow bush?"

Naruto immediately regretted agreeing to this mission. No amount of battle action would make him feel glad to have accepted it.

This blue-haired girl was by far the most annoying of the people they'd ever had to escort. Everyone else treated them with respect because they held their client's lives in their hands. But this…this girl never, ever shut up. She jabbered on about this and that, throwing insults at every member of the team who guarded her life. Naruto was going to need a metric ton of ramen-related therapy when they got back to Konoha.

He glanced at his two teammates, meeting their exasperated gazes. Unlike many others her age, she had surprisingly refrained from flirting with the Uchiha, instead giving him the same screechy treatment as the rest of the team. Sasuke was actually quite glad of that, but detested the name-calling nonetheless.

"…No idea how lucky you are, you know that? My daddy had offers coming in from all over the five great lands, so you should be more grateful that…"

_I think I'd rather let the other villages handle this one, Your Highness,_ thought Naruto irritably. _Maybe they'd be allowed to knock some sense into you. You're lucky Grandma's such a stickler for rules._

Kakashi was lucky to have his book to distract him from Kurumi's unending barrage of offensive slang. Sasuke and Sakura had each other for diversions. Naruto sighed. He always missed his beloved Hinata-chan when his team was called out on a mission. But the smiles and hugs when he came back made up for it. Then he'd take her hand and ask her if she wanted to celebrate by going out for ramen, and she'd say "Of course, Naruto-kun," and stare up at him with those gigantic white eyes and he'd feel his heart liquefying-

"Are you listening to me?!"

Naruto flinched at the shrieking voice less than an inch from his ear. "No."

Kurumi glared at him. "You're an inconsiderate jerk! How _dare_ you ignore me when I'm speaking to you?!"

Kakashi sighed and closed his book, sensing Naruto's suppressed anger.

"Kurumi-sama," he said exhaustedly. "We've been assigned to protect you from harm, commissioned by your father and by our Hokage. However, if you remain this uncooperative, we'll have to end the mission right now and return you to your father."

"Go ahead! See if I care!"

_Yeesh, touchy…_

Kurumi folded her arms defiantly. "He'll just get another group to take me. You're nothing special. Just a ragtag bunch of mercenaries with some freakish powers."

Sakura sighed, resting her forehead in one hand. "Kurumi," she said, purposely leaving out the honorific, "I really don't know what your problem is, but acting like a child isn't going to make it go away."

_I might as well be talking to a five-year-old!_ shouted her Inner, watching the girl glare at all of them.

"You wish…" Sakura caught her muttering under her breath. There was something in that sentence's tone, something less like uncontrolled rage and more like…

Despair, maybe?

**

* * *

**Naruto was _really_ missing his Hinata-chan now. The fact that his teammates were practically cuddling in public really wasn't helping things. 

But, it was sweet to watch nonetheless. Emo Boy had one hand on Sakura's shoulder, silently screaming to the world "MINE! No touch!" Sakura leaned against him, her eyes closed peacefully.

"Sheesh, Emo Boy. If you love her so much, why don't you just marry her already?" teased Naruto.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a ring," he muttered.

Sakura giggled and petted the top of Sasuke's head. "Sasuke-kun's just waiting for the right time, aren't you, Sweetpea?"

_Uh-oh…they're…taking it seriously?!_

Sakura found Naruto's shocked look immensely amusing.

"Your mouth's hanging open, Naruto," she giggled.

The blond shook his head, leaning back on the grass to stare at the wisps of smoke from their campfire floating off into the sky. It'd be dark shortly, so they'd have to set up more camp than just making a fire sometime soon.

_Y'know…it's not really such a far-off idea. Emo Boy really does love Sakura-chan back, he might actually grow a brain and propose to her someday…that'd be a sight to see…_

Naruto grinned at the mental image of his dark-haired teammate down on one knee, offering an oversized and very sparkly engagement ring to a bewildered Sakura. She'd then squeal her assent, and probably knock him over with her forceful hugs. Which he enjoyed tremendously, though he'd never admit it.

_And then they'd have a big, fat wedding in the middle of Konoha, with everyone in the whole village invited, and the best man would be me and me alone, ha-ha!_

All this thought of marriage and weddings just reminded Naruto of Hinata. He sighed, imagining her face when she'd be met with her own man doing the incredibly cheesy pose and holding a ring out to her. She'd stutter just a bit, then probably nod quickly, realizing she had no mouth-brain coordination at that particular moment…

"Naruto, you're blushing. Thinking of your sweetie?"

Naruto grinned, still staring up at the darkening clouds overhead.

"I'll take that as a yes."

_Sakura-chan knows me too well._

A few bushes rustled, and an exhausted Kakashi appeared, looking more disgruntled than the other three had ever seen him before.

"Sakura," he said, "it's your turn to watch Her Highness. She's absolutely intolerable."

Sakura pouted, heaving herself to her feet and trudging desolately in the direction Kakashi had come from. The silver-haired Jounin took a seat against a tree, flipping open his X-rated book once more.

"Geez, Kakashi-sensei. If you love that book so much, why don't you just marry it already?"

Kakashi never really did figure out why one of his former students fell over laughing while the other covered his mouth with his hand and snorted at just that one sentence.

**

* * *

**Sakura sat down cross-legged in front of the entrance to the noble girl's tent. Her father certainly had paid for the best, there could have been jagged rocks underneath it and it still would've been comfortable to anyone inside it. 

"Go away."

Sakura sighed. "You don't want to go, do you, Kurumi?"

Silence.

"You never wanted an arranged marriage. You hate your father for forcing you into it."

More silence. A gust of wind rustled the leaves of the trees overhead.

"And you're taking it out on anybody your father gets to escort you, in hopes that he'll give up and let you marry whoever you want."

A navy-blue head emerged from the tent. Sakura saw red cheeks and puffy eyes. The girl had been crying.

"You think you understand," she said, glaring at Sakura. "You wouldn't know anything. You've got your sweetheart with you already, you've never known what it's like to be forced into a relationship where you're not loved!"

Sakura turned her head away from Kurumi.

"You have no idea."

"Huh?" muttered the girl.

"You think we've always been like this?" Sakura asked. "You're wrong. He used to hate me. He couldn't even stand breathing the same air as me. I was nothing to him. Less than nothing. And me, being the devoted idiot that I was, still cared for him, praying someday he'd love me as deeply as I loved him."

Kurumi said nothing.

"It's really a miracle I got the chance to be the one he fell in love with. He hated being chased by girls, you know. He probably would've ended up dying alone, on some blood-soaked battlefield, with nobody there beside him as he drew his last breath, cursing this world and everything in it."

"But…you…"

"He always calls me his angel, you know. He says I saved him from his own darkness, bringing the joy and laughter back into his life. There was nothing before, only an empty void where his beloved family had once been."

"What happened to…?"

"His older brother had been the apple of their father's eye when they were children. He was a genius, a prodigy, becoming a full-fledged shinobi at the age of seven."

"Seven?"

"He was the pride and joy of their family, eventually becoming the second-most powerful ninja in our whole village by the time he was thirteen. His little brother practically worshipped him, so proud to be related to someone so amazing."

"What happened?"

"The pressure became too much for the older brother. He started losing his mind very slowly, believing his loving family was holding him back. He discovered a hidden secret of their clan, and used it to demolish every family member but one. His adoring little brother."

Kurumi shook her head. "That's…"

"He left him alive, claiming it was so he could eventually challenge him as an equal. It wrecked the little brother's mind, convincing him that only strength mattered, and nothing was too great a price to pay for the chance to kill his older brother."

Kurumi said nothing.

"He said once that without me, he would've left everything behind, chasing after the man he had sworn to kill, probably dying in the process and never reaching his life's second goal. The restoration of his family to its former glory. Their clan would be dead, and eventually become just another legend in Academy textbooks. Forgotten."

The blue-haired girl stared at her.

"So don't you tell me I, or either of my friends, don't know anything about being unloved," said Sakura. "I think we know pretty freakin' well. Naruto never knew his parents, and was shunned by the entire village for simply existing. He used to claim the two of us didn't know pain, but he learned eventually."

"…"

"You, on the other hand, have almost no reason to suffer, Kurumi. You've got a rich father who might not pay much attention to your wants, but provides you with anything you'd ever think to ask for. You don't have to get a job and work, just say 'I do' at a wedding, and your husband might even let you alone to do whatever you please. You've got a pretty cushy living set up for you."

"How can you know all this…"muttered Kurumi.

Sakura met her gaze. "I'm a shinobi, we're trained to notice little things that give away a lot more than you'd think. Now, we've just got to take you to your fiancée's place, then we'll all just disappear and you'll never have to think of us again. But in the meantime, it's not going to get you out of going, so let up the spoiled princess act."

Kurumi sniffled a little, then withdrew her head back into her tent, not letting Sakura see her face.

_She doesn't know how to handle much of anything…she's not really ready to let go of her childhood, she's afraid of all the changes to her life that come with being married…Kurumi…you just need to accept it all, and it won't seem so bad. Maybe you'll end up with someone very kind who will love you and you'll be happy together…but you've gotta get over this milestone first if you want a shot at having that life…_

**

* * *

**"Oi, Sakura-chan. Wake up." 

Sakura blinked, realizing her blond teammate was shaking her gently by the shoulder.

"I wasn't asleep," she mumbled, stifling a yawn. "Just thinking."

"Yeah well, you get so out of it when you daydream. Sorry. Anyways, it's half past eleven. Your shift's over. I'll watch the little devil now."

Sakura stretched a little. "Kurumi's asleep?"

"Yeah, just checked on her. She won't give me any grief."

"Y'know…call me crazy, but I think she might not be such a pain tomorrow."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled. "I gave her a little talking-to. She'll be good, if not sickeningly angelic."

Naruto grinned. "Good ol' Sakura-chan. Anyways, get your butt back over there. Emo Boy's all moping and stuff without you."

Sakura pulled herself to her feet as Naruto took her space on the grass.

"Night, Naruto."

"Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan."

* * *

yeah...I'm incredibly lazy for using that whole (non-flashback!) bit as a filler...sorry... 


	26. Starfish Guts

**Chapter twenty-six: Starfish Guts **

* * *

_A small gust of nightly summer wind flowed through a great, abandoned castle. It whistled through the deserted rooms, fluttering torn paper screens as it passed by. It whipped around a splintered doorway, exiting the building's back entrance. _

_Half of the castle had been built on a mountain's lake. The rooms remaining intact were reaching like tendrils out onto the lake's misty surface. Bridges and docks connected them, like a great labyrinth swaying several meters above the swirling water._

_Sakura sat at the edge of one of the docks, her feet dangling over the edge as she slowly swung her legs back and forth. Despite the summer night's warmth, she clutched a gauzy veil around her as she stared out onto the misty water. _

_Fireflies glowed softly as they explored the old castle ruins. The same castle she had visited before, back when she had seen herself and another Sasuke together in the ornamental gardens on the other side of the fortress walls._

_She squinted through the barely-illuminated darkness as a shape appeared through the mist. She smiled when a head of raven hair appeared, stepping carefully on the water's dark surface and leaving only a trail of tiny ripples behind him._

_Sasuke stopped just below her, the white cloak he was wearing billowing out in the summer breeze. He extended a hand up to her, smiling warmly._

_She reached down and grasped his hand, allowing herself to slip off the edge of the wooden dock. He caught her easily, shifting a little to carry her as though she was his bride._

_They sped away across the water, the glow of the old castle slowly fading away and replaced with cool, misty wind._

_The lake soon became marshland, which eventually gave was to a majestic forest. Trees stretching up to touch the sky surrounded them as Sasuke slowly came to a halt beside what seemed like the biggest tree of them all. Just barely scratched into the wood was a crudely-drawn heart, with "SH&SU" carved into it._

"_Sasuke-kun…" she whispered when he let her feet drop to the ground. "What is this place?" she asked, in awe of their almost magical surroundings._

_He turned toward the moonlight streaming down from between the tree's branches, leaving dappled patterns on the dew-covered grass._

"_You're dreaming, aren't you?" he asked. "It's something you imagined up."_

_She frowned at him. "Does…does that mean you're a dream, too?"_

_He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "No. I'm as real as it gets."_

"_But…you're in my dream…"_

"_And you're always in mine, Sakura. Sometimes it seems we can both occupy the same dream. Remember all the times I met you while you were asleep and told you something important? That was really me."_

_Sakura glanced down at the memories of all the times he'd told her what to do while she had been sleeping. "Yeah…I kinda guessed that was it, but it seemed so far-fetched…"_

"_Well, now you know. Although if you're asleep and I'm awake, any versions of me you find aren't real."_

"_This is confusing…" Sakura murmured, scratching her head._

"_Yeah, it is," he agreed. "But I've discovered you can create anything in this dream world."_

"_Really?" she asked, looking interested. "I just think of it and it appears?"_

_Sasuke smirked and pointed at the ground. Sakura glanced down, and realized her normal clothes had been changed into a flowing white kimono decorated with silvery spirals that glittered in the soft moonlight._

"_Oh, Sasuke-kun…" she said in amazement, swishing the long skirt around her ankles in feminine delight. "It's beautiful."_

"_Only the best for you," he answered, smiling. "'Cause you deserve it."_

_She giggled when he picked up her hand and kissed it. He wondered what she was grinning about until he glanced back at their clasped hands._

"_Ah. Very clever," he mumbled, raising an eyebrow at the glitter of gold around his ring finger. "I suppose we're married now, is that it?"_

_She laughed, and made the ring disappear. "Not yet, silly," she whispered, leaning against his chest and closing her eyes. "Not just yet."_

_She sighed in contentment when his lips brushed the top of her head as his embrace surrounded her. No matter what kind of dream it was, if he was there with her it was perfect._

"_Sakura?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_We're gonna have to wake up soon."_

"_Really? Aww…" she sighed, pouting. "But I was having fun…"_

_He cupped her chin. "It's all right. We'll do it again tomorrow."_

"_Ok!"_

"_Bye, Sakura," he murmured, kissing her gently._

"_Bye, Sasuke-kun…" she answered as the world around them faded slowly to black._

* * *

"Emo Boy! Sakura-chan! Wake up! Rise and shine! Up and at 'em!"

Naruto's high-pitched and rather loud wakeup call made everyone in their party flinch. Sakura squirmed around from her sleeping position on Sasuke's lap as he leaned against a tree to glare irritably at Naruto.

"There're better ways to wake people up than shouting," she growled as Sasuke stifled a yawn with his hand.

"Yeah, but it's more fun that way! And I couldn't resist, seeing you two all curled up together like that," said the grinning blond.

"Idiot…Where's Kakashi?" muttered the Uchiha.

"Oh, he left about an hour ago to look for clean water. He told me to wake you two up back _then_, but I decided to do it now, seeing as he's always late and all."

"Where's Kurumi?" asked Sakura, rubbing her eyes.

Naruto pointed to a lumpy sleeping bag next to him. "A while after my shift, she said she felt lonely or something, and plop! Just went to sleep right there."

Sakura glanced at the lock of electric-blue hair sticking out as the lump shifted a little before settling back down.

"If you wake her up with screaming, she'll hate you."

"Eh, she already hates me."

"Cover your ears," murmured Sasuke.

"Kurumi-sama-a-a! RISE AND SHINE!"

Naruto was met with a fist in his face. It wasn't nearly as powerful as one of Sakura's but the girl's quick reflexes surprised him. He fell over backwards, grabbing his bloody nose and squealing in pain.

Sakura laughed until tears came to her eyes. Sasuke smirked as the blue-haired girl wiped the blood off of her knuckles.

"Don't _ever_," she growled menacingly, "wake me up like that again. Or I'll make sure you'll never father any children!"

Naruto whimpered pathetically, crawling behind his teammates like a frightened puppy. Kurumi scoffed.

"Some ninja you are," she mumbled, turning her back on him and reaching for her travel bag.

Sakura crawled off of Sasuke's lap and around the other side of the tree.

"Here, Naruto. I'll fix your nose."

He winced as her glowing fingers touched him, but smiled in relief as the pain disappeared.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. You're awesome."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm modest."

Sasuke stuck his head around the side of the tree trunk. "Kakashi's back."

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late, I-" Kakashi began before stopping to wonder why there was blood on both Naruto's face and their client's hand, though in a second she erased the evidence with a wet-wipe.

"O…k…I don't think I want to know…" muttered the silver-haired Jounin. "Anyways, let's pack up and head out. With any luck, we'll make it to the next town before sundown. Who else is for sleeping in real beds again?"

As usual, Naruto was the only one who waved his hand in the air enthusiastically, then realized nobody else was doing the same. He lowered it, pretending to sulk at his team's lack of crowd mentality.

Sakura glanced at the unusually silent Kurumi as the girl dragged a comb through her unruly bed-head. Her prediction had come true, the violent teen was going to stay mostly quiet that day.

"You don't have to completely keep from talking," she murmured. "Just don't insult anyone."

The teen thought for a moment with narrowed eyes, then mumbled something along the lines of, "Lovely weather we've been having."

Sakura sighed, and turned back to packing up her own things. It might take longer than expected, but she was going to get the girl to learn how to carry on a normal conversation. There was only room for one antisocial iceblock on this mission, and that position had been previously filled for the last fifteen years or so.

"Come on, you guys! The sun's only been up for about an hour, let's get moving!" said Kakashi, beginning down the road again.

"Says the Jounin who spends three hours getting lost on the path of life every single day…"

"Ha! Good one, Emo Boy," exclaimed Naruto, trotting after the rest of the team.

"Why does he call you that?"

The two turned around to meet with Kurumi's questioning gaze. She looked fed up, as if someone was making her talk to people she supposedly hated. Sakura could be seen hiding a grin behind her hand as they traveled along the rocky path.

"Well…?" she asked, her arms crossed.

Naruto blinked. "Uh…well…I think it was…way back in the Academy…"

Sasuke nodded. "You stole my box of crayons during our first year. During art class…"

"…And then you said you needed the black and red 'cause you were drawing a ninja picture…"

"It was a _battlefield._"

"Whatever…I took one look at it and said 'Wow, that's emo' or something like that…"

"And from then on you called me that, even though our teacher spanked you every time you did."

Naruto glared with embarrassment at his smirking teammate. "You could've left that part _out_, y'know."

"No, actually it was quite crucial to your development as a full-fledged moron."

"Emo!"

"I'm not going to argue with you. Come back when you have more brain cells than a starfish and maybe I'll consider talking to you."

Kurumi smirked behind the two of them.

Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

Kurumi sighed, unfolding her arms. "Starfish don't have brains, you idiot. He's basically calling you a small, brainless creature that upchucks its own stomach to digest its food."

"Ewww! That's nasty!" said Naruto, shaking his head to dispel the mental images that explanation gave him.

Sakura smiled at Kurumi as they walked. "You studied marine biology?"

Kurumi sighed. "Yeah, actually…my father gave each of us tutors back home…mine just happened to be a fish fanatic."

"Really? That's strange…there isn't much for someone like that to study in the Land of Fire. No oceans, you see."

"Oh, he really came from the Land of Water, apparently he used to live pretty close to the Mist village, actually…"

"How'd he end up here?"

Kurumi scratched the back of her head. "Uh…he mentioned it to me once…said he was chasing a rare species of fish or something that gained the ability to partially shapeshift due to extreme experimentation…even if it was only a rumor, more like an urban legend, he and some others were bent on finding it at all costs…"

All four of them stared at Kurumi with definite interest. "What was it?"

Kurumi thought deeply for a moment, frowning. "Uh…I think…a barracuda? No, that wasn't it…some sort of predatory fish…a…an eel? Maybe a killer whale? No…those are mammals…"

An imaginary lightbulb went off above her head. "Oh, that's right! It was a shark!" she remembered.

When two of her four escorts snorted loudly while the other two burst into fits of tickled laughter, it took them quite a while to calm down. Kurumi wondered for some time what was so apparently funny about sharks…she concluded it had to be some weird, cultural ninja-thing and decided to leave it at that.

* * *

"I call the one under the window!"

"In your dreams, Starfish."

Sakura giggled. Ever since their client had dropped that gem of wisdom on the two, Naruto's new insult nickname had been variations of the underwater mollusk, along with its…_eating habits_.

"Go digest a log, Naruto."

"Sakura-chan!" whimpered Naruto. "He's calling me mean things!"

Sakura smirked a little, then glanced at Kurumi.

"They're sort of stupid," murmured the teen, dropping her travel bag on one of the inn beds not being fought over.

"Yeah…" answered the pink-haired kunoichi, "but we love them anyways."

Kurumi said nothing, merely ducking to avoid a pillow thrown in her general direction.

"You know, you're not so bad at talking to other people," said Sakura. "Once you get past the insulting stage, you're actually kinda fun to have around."

Kurumi blushed a little at the compliment.

"Gaaah! Sasuke, gimme it back!" shouted Naruto, attempting to grab something from his teammate's clenched fist.

"What?" sighed Kakashi from where he sat, reading his orange book.

Sasuke grinned. "Photo of Hinata in a bikini, Naruto? My, my, such a naughty boy."

"Sasukeeeee, give it BACK!"

The two girls looked at one another for a moment before bursting out laughing.

_Maybe this mission won't be so bad after all…_

_

* * *

Wow, everyone who read this to the end actually learned something about starfishes today. I feel like I've enough contributed to all your educations now..._

Eh, mostly character development this time, what can I say? at least I got it out before the end of the week, huzzah! gonna have to roll in the fighty-fighty to keep things interesting...yosh!


	27. Shades of Gray

**Chapter twenty-seven: Shades Of Gray

* * *

**

"'Cuz we-e-e are the cha-a-ampions, mah frie-e-ends…and we-e-e'll keep on fi-i-ighting, 'till the e-e-e-end…"

Sakura winced a little at her orange-clad teammate's off-key singing.

"We are the champions, _we _are the_ champions…_"

"Naruto-" began Kurumi.

"No-o-o time for lo-o-osers, 'cuz we are the cha-a-ampions…"

"Shut up!"

Naruto grinned at the blue-haired girl and whispered quietly under his breath, "Of the wo-o-o-orld…"

_Whack._

"Ow! Hey, little girl! Nobody does that to me but Sakura-chan!"

"And Hinata…" murmured Sakura, amused by Naruto's flinch. "She hits you too."

The team could almost see the little storm-cloud hovering above the blond's head.

"You weren't supposed to know about that…" he muttered embarrassedly.

"I think it's a good thing," commented Sakura, grabbing onto a deep-rooted fern and pulling herself up onto a particularly large boulder. "You're teaching her to stand up for herself."

Naruto shrugged, and accidentally made the mistake of glancing down the side of the mountain they were climbing. He gulped nervously, and turned back to scaling the cluster of boulders that stood between them and the trampled mountain trail they were supposed to be following.

One of his clones hauled him up to the top of his rock, then disappeared in a poof of smoke. Another one was piggybacking Kurumi up, and yet another clambered along behind it, just in case. They both disappeared when the teen slid off the other side of the rock, and back onto the dusty path that had spiraled up the mountainside for the past few hours.

"Once we get to the top, you'll be able to see the Land of Locusts," announced Kakashi, already strolling up the path as the others tried to catch their breath.

"All right!" Naruto half-shouted, too winded from the climb to do much more than that. After a minute or two, the small party started up the pebble-laden road again, with a few more backward glances from Naruto.

"Naruto, just stop looking at it already," sighed Kurumi. "The more you look at the ground, the more scared you'll get, and then-"

She stopped herself when she realized they had reached the decidedly rounded top of the small mountain. All four of them gazed out over the landscape that stretched below them.

_Iruka-sensei was right. This place IS a wasteland._

The gray, flat terrain below them almost seemed to mingle with the sky at the horizon point. The sun beat down relentlessly over parched, colorless ground where nothing but a few hardy weeds survived. Off in the distance, there was a small, dark group of huddled, square shapes that turned out to be buildings. They were the only sign of civilization in this inhospitable-looking environment.

"Geez…" murmured Naruto, breaking the silence. "Looks like your kind of place, Emo Boy."

"Shut up."

The both became quiet as the group slowly began the downhill climb down the opposite side of the mountain. Apart from a few slips on loose stones, the journey passed without incident.

"How could anyone live out here?" mumbled Sakura, watching an ironically-placed tumbleweed blown around by the wind. "There's no way to produce food or anything…"

"See that road?" said Kakashi, pointing to a thin, spindly path trailing through the cluster of block-buildings. "That's the path merchants come to this town by. They mostly mine metals in this town, and sell it to import other items you couldn't find out here. We'll stop here for a little, then head on out. The city of Kogane should be just one more day's walk from here."

"All right! Let's go, guys! Time's a-wastin'!" announced Naruto, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis.

"Where does he get all his energy?" asked a panting Kurumi. "He acts like he's been on food pills since the day he was born!"

"I know, just ignore him. Attention only encourages him," explained Sakura.

"Hey! I heard that!"

The other three rolled their eyes.

"Come on, let's just go already. This heat is killing me," complained the blue-haired teenager.

"I second that motion!"

"Naruto, please calm down…"

* * *

The moment the party entered the tiny town, the three youngest Jounin were instantly reminded of the Land of Waves. This town carried the same aura of defeat and helplessness, though Kakashi explained later it was always this way until the merchants and shippers came to trade supplies and food for valuable metal. 

"There should be a hotel around here somewhere…" muttered Kakashi, flipping through a map booklet as the others took in their surroundings.

Naruto noted the lack of ramen stands.

"Ah. Here we are."

The slightly larger gray building before them looked no different from the others surrounding it.

Naruto glanced behind them at a whispering sound. The dusty wind blew a muffled conversation from several citizens past his pricked ears.

"…Shinobi, watch out, they'll skin you alive as soon as look at you…"

"…Heard that before, they're no good at all…"

"…Sooner they're out, the sooner we can…"

"They don't seem to like us much," murmured Sakura without turning her head.

Naruto nodded as Kakashi disappeared into the gray structure's equally-gray doorway. "Yeah…"

"How far, Sakura?" murmured Sasuke, also without moving.

Sakura frowned as calculations flashed through her mind. "I'm guessing within two or so miles."

Kurumi glanced at each of them uneasily. "What? What's two miles away?"

Naruto put his hand up to cover his mouth.

"Don't act alarmed Kurumi-sama, but we've been followed for the past couple hours."

He continued despite their client's visible flinch.

"We're not quite sure who it is yet, but there are only two of them and we're going to take watches all night. Ain't no way they're getting past us, ok?"

The teen gulped and nodded nervously. Naruto patted her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"Kurumi-sama, your dad knows we can watch you just fine. Otherwise he wouldn't have hired us now, would he?"

"I…I guess so…" muttered Kurumi nervously as Kakashi appeared from within the building.

"Hey guys, we're all set up, so the rest of the day is free. Kurumi-sama, we'll be traveling in a group to maximize your security. No running off by yourself."

She nodded tensely.

"Good. Now, try to stay in the middle, ok?"

"Y-yes, Kakashi-san."

"Hm…" mumbled Naruto as the group assembled around their client in a loose guarding formation. "How come Kakashi-sensei gets to be called 'San?'"

"'Cos he's the only one who seems to be doing a professional job."

Naruto pouted as Kakashi started down the wide, gray street, followed by his former students.

"Keep your eyes open, kids. Any information is better than none."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Naruto glanced warily at each of the people lining the dreary streets. The sun was beginning to set, giving some much-needed rosy tints to the drained-looking town. Each of the citizens, no matter their age, looked haggard and tormented to him. 

"Any of them?" asked Sakura, walking next to him. Kakashi and Sasuke were keeping an eye on Kurumi, he and Sakura had been sent to scout out the relatively small town for any giveaways as to who or what was following the group.

Naruto shook his head slowly, still scanning the thinning groups as they wandered off to their respective homes. "None of these guys. They don't look like they could attack their way out of a cardboard box. And that muted chakra's not coming any closer…"

Sakura frowned. "They might not be enemies, you know…The ones following us."

"Then why hide?"

To this, she had no answer.

"…Anyways, Kakashi-sensei told us to go check out that path leading out into who-knows-where, 'least 'till it gets too cold."

"Yeah, that middle-of-nowhere temperature sure can drop at night," agreed Sakura as the streetlights, which somehow managed to glow _gray_, lit up the darkening streets.

"Geez, it's dark…let's make this a quickie, Sakura-chan."

"Yup."

Sakura just couldn't shake her growing feeling of uneasiness as the two slowly wandered farther and farther away from the _gray_, yet slightly comforting, glow of the streetlamps. She shivered a little as she and Naruto gazed out onto the darkened plains. The wind blew another tumbleweed past them as she glanced back over her shoulder at the group of buildings.

_There's nothing to be afraid of. We're close enough from the perimeter to run back in case anything happens…_

Still, it gave her the creeps to see their two shadows cast from the gray light stretching onward in front of them. She glanced at Naruto as he breathed onto his hands to warm them.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go back, there's-"

She stopped when he held up a hand for silence. He glanced back at her, then nodded slightly in the direction of the spindly path leading out. Sakura realized the muted chakra had become more intense, if only by a little. Something was getting closer.

She squinted out at the darkened wasteland, searching for any flicker of movement in the dead landscape.

"What is it?" she murmured quietly, reaching down in case she needed to grab a weapon.

"I dunno," whispered Naruto, tensing up in anticipation. "But whatever it is…it's moving."

"But where…?"

Neither knew the answer to that question.

Nothing moved in the deepening night.

It seemed as though time had stopped.

Even the tumbleweeds stopped moving.

Even the wind had stopped blowing.

"N-Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

Sakura's eyes flickered around nervously. "It's close…"

The blond nodded, holding a kunai with both hands. "I know…"

The only sounds Sakura could hear were her own breathing and accelerated heartbeat.

"Sh-should we go back? Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto nodded slowly without taking his gaze off the darkness. "Yeah. You turn around, Sakura-chan. I'm not showing these bubs my unprotected back."

Sakura nodded. "Good plan."

Knowing Naruto was watching the other side, she rotated slowly in her place.

She breathed almost in relief at the sight of the square, gray town still in place.

_Heh, that was dumb. It wouldn't just disappear, it's not a ghost town or something like that. Sasuke-kun's watch starts up soon, he'll want us to be back so he can-_

"SAKU-!"

She spun around at her teammate's cut-off shout of her name.

Just before a chakra-filled finger met with her throat, her eyes widened, a single image burned into her mind.

Naruto lay on the ground where he had collapsed, blood dripping from a sliced wound on his shoulder. His attacker stood above him, pulling out a roll of bandages to re-wrap his gigantic sword after it had sliced through its previous coverings.

As a jolt of chakra entered her neck, she whispered only two syllables as she gazed in horror into her attacker's blood-red eyes.

"Ita…"

Her head met with parched, hard ground, but it didn't matter. She was already out cold.

* * *

"Heh, what easy targets. Only one of them even tried to fight back. Easy pickins', eh, Itachi-san?" 

The ex-ANBU Uchiha didn't look at his partner as the blue-skinned man coated his prized sword in white cloth. If he spent as much time completing his missions as he did fawning over his precious weapon, they'd already have grabbed this annoying orange one months ago.

"Let's get rid of the extra now, she'll cause trouble if we leave her alive."

Itachi heard Kisame's words, but his brain didn't process them until a few minutes later.

Contrary to popular belief, the twenty-seven-year-old Akatsuki member hadn't completely given up _certain things_ after defecting from Konoha.

He gazed without emotion at the young woman lying at his feet as Kisame stuffed the orange boy into a sack laced with sedatives.

Something stirred within him as he looked at her. Her long, pink hair fanned out from her pale face. Despite having just been knocked unconscious, her expression held no sign of fear or anger.

Kisame raised an eyebrow at his partner, heaving the inert sack over his shoulder, making sure not to bump it against his sword.

"Eh, Itachi-san. What's up? You look all…distracted-like."

Kisame blinked in shock as his emotionless partner knelt down next to the passed-out kunoichi and gently turned her face upwards. Kisame took notice of how his finger slid along her jaw line, as well as the tiny flicker of a certain expression that crossed the normally stoic Uchiha's face.

"Oh no…Itachi-san…" groaned the shark-man. "Don't tell me you're…"

He was met with a menacing glare, completely different from the peaceful gaze that the pink-haired girl had been receiving.

Kisame backed up a few steps, his free hand held out in defense as an expression of panic met with the Uchiha's smoldering look.

"Whoa there. Don't eyeball me, Itachi-san. You go ahead and keep her. Don't eyeball me, _please_."

Itachi turned back to what he deemed his "rightful prize" in his mind, feeling how soft her skin was as his fingertip floated across her cheek.

Something about this girl, he couldn't quite put his finger on it…something about her made a strange feeling well up inside him. He found he greatly enjoyed how she felt, his hand brushing her rosy hair out of her face bringing him some bizarre pleasure.

He'd always sneered at those men that liked to stare at young girls, but he seemed to have fallen in with the crowd, he thought, ignoring the fact hat his hand had slid over her shoulder and was now resting on her waist. Young women certainly were nothing to be scoffed at, he decided to himself as his other had took hers, rubbing its velvety softness with his thumb.

"She won't be a hindrance," he murmured.

"I know, I know. You'll keep her in that dimension-ring-whatsit-thingamajig. You go ahead and do that."

Though inside, Kisame was puzzled at his partner's behavior as the Uchiha performed a series of hand seals above the unmoving body. Sure, he himself liked to look at pretty girls from time to time, but Itachi…Itachi was Mister No-Feelings. This seemed so out of character for him.

Kisame squinted to avoid the flying dust as his partner teleported the group far away from the tiny, boring town and into a heavily wooded area. Kisame lowered his sack to the grassy ground as Itachi slipped off his black-and-red Akatsuki ring.

A second later, he flipped it, spinning, into the air, making more seals and murmuring some jutsu as the ring spun around in place, glowing and slowly becoming larger.

The ex-ANBU had somehow figured out a way to use its Assembly of Dawn powers to create a tiny, changeable universe he controlled entirely. Kisame had only seen glimpses of it when his partner ever entered or exited it. So far, it seemed to be just a white room, but there had to be more than that.

The ring had reached full size now, almost as big as a circular doorway. Its glowing border shone brightly as Itachi knelt down and picked up the pink girl's body. If it hadn't been someone who was liable to kill him on the spot, Kisame might have laughed at anybody carrying the girl bridal-style like that. It seemed so cheesy.

"Couple hours?"

Itachi nodded as the wall of light slid apart, allowing him to step carefully through. The last thing Kisame saw before the doorway, ring, and even the two inside it disappeared was a raging blue ocean, with frothy waves tossing in the powerful spraying winds.

The light shone more brightly for a split second, then vanished, taking its passengers along with it.

* * *

ZOMG! bad people doing bad things! well, what did you expect? I may be able to write fluff, but I can sure as heck pull off some good, old-fashioned abductions if I put my mind to it...heh... 


	28. Abduction

**Chapter twenty-eight: Abduction

* * *

**

_What the…what's going on…? Where am I? Am I dead? No, if I was dead I'd know it…Ok, I'm asleep, then. All I need to do is wake up…_

Sakura slowly opened one eye, then the other. White ceiling. Was she in the hospital? No…what was the last thing that happened…

_Itachi._

She sat up in a panic, with mixed results. Her body felt like lead, it was as if she was moving through water. Everything was too heavy. She also realized it wasn't Konoha hospital. The room she was in must have been white marble at one time, but was now completely covered in plants. They were everywhere, though the marble itself showed no sign of cracking. They must have been grown like that on purpose, then. But by who?

_Wh…where's Naruto?_

The only things not covered in vegetation were the sliding door leading out, the bed she was lying on, and a large, rather fancy full-length mirror facing the door.

Sakura put a hand to her forehead, her eyes closed. How long had she been out cold? And more importantly, where was she? And where was Naruto? She blinked a few times, more questions flying through her head.

She glanced around at the room again, this time glancing at the covered mirror next to the bed. Standing up and pushing herself off of the bed, she reached out and nervously turned it around.

Her gaze traveled up to her face after doing a check for injuries or unusual marks. So far, none.

Her eyes widened as her hand felt around her cheek, under her left eye.

Her scar from her battle with Ino was gone.

_What the-?! How could it have just…vanished? Am I…am I dreaming?_

She again touched the place on her cheek where Ino had almost cut her eye out. She was definitely going to miss not having to squint when she laughed, but the curved scar had held quite a few memories…she was almost sad to have lost it.

Her other hand had unconsciously drifted up to her yin pendant, the way it always did when she was thinking hard about something. At least that little piece of jewelry was still there. This dream, if it _was_ a dream, was too surreal. Maybe when she woke up she'd have a look at Shizune's dream interpretation book. Maybe it'd explain a few things.

Well, there was no use standing around all day. Was it even daytime here? There were no windows, but there was a light source coming from the ceiling. It looked as if the marble itself was glowing. Weird.

She slid back the screen door, peering out of the room. Before her stretched a long hallway, equally covered in foliage. Several doors were closed over with plant life, the ones that weren't had deadbolt locks on them. The whole place must have been expensive at one time. Sakura wondered who owned it in this dream.

She wandered down one end of the hall, gazing upwards at the glowing ceiling. What bizarre sight would greet her next?

She turned around the corner of white marble, finding another hallway. On one side, there were large wooden double-doors, which seemed out of place among the marble and undergrowth. They had brass handles in the shape of twirling ivy, but the doors themselves were unmovable.

One of the numerous sliding doors did open when she tried it, and Sakura stepped out to a sight that took her breath away.

She was situated in a gigantic marble castle, which was in fact, an island. The sky was a cobalt-blue, though strangely there was no sun in sight. She walked to the edge of the marble balcony, and heard, rather than saw, the ocean waves splashing against the castle's rocky foundations. Unreal.

The feeling of the wind after those cold halls and vegetation was uplifting. She untied her ponytail, letting the wind toss her hair in a flowing river of silky pink strands. She breathed deeply, smelling the salty air. This was definitely going in her diary when she woke up.

"_She's so beautiful. It's everything he ever saw in her made a reality._"

Sakura spun around, confused. Where had that voice come from? It had sounded like…

Nobody was there. The only sound was the waves crashing hundreds of feet below. That was strange. She should have been able to sense a chakra signature, but here there was nothing on radar.

_No need to panic,_ she told herself. _It's just a dream. Anything in the world can happen, but it's just a dream._

_"I wouldn't be too sure of that."_

This time she heard it clearly. It was Itachi's voice. But where was it coming from? And how could he hear her thoughts?

"Wh…where are you? Show yourself!" she shouted at the empty air. Her hand reached down to her shuriken holster, only to find it empty. No weapons.

Something thudded into the marble behind her. She turned her head, seeing it was a double-bladed knife. A sharp sting pierced her shoulder. The blade had left a shallow cut on the pearly skin. The wound closed up instantly, but the numbness remained for a few seconds.

She could feel pain. This wasn't a dream.

* * *

Itachi watched from a window in the castle as she tried to find the weapon's trajectory. She never would, because to her it appeared to have come from the direction of the ocean. He grinned, something he didn't do very often, while she yanked the knife out of the marble. It had been buried up to the handle. She was a strong one. And intelligent too, he thought, when she placed it in her shuriken holster. As long as he stayed hidden, she'd never know he was there. 

What she didn't know was this entire dimension was wrapped in a supernatural barrier that prevented any conscious activities involving chakra. No jutsu could be performed, though the automatic cell regeneration medical ninja always seemed to possess would ensue as it always did. It was even impossible to sense chakra signatures. For anyone unskilled in taijutsu, this entire world was a death trap.

He watched as she re-entered the castle, her rosy hair streaming behind her like a veil. She would be on her guard now, and even with his ventriloquism trick she'd be harder to fool. She had such an air of innocence about her…much like his brother had possessed, all those years ago. Maybe that's why they had ended up together.

No matter. He would keep her here…maybe even communicate with her. She'd be fearful at first, no doubt about that. She'd believe Sasuke would come for her, to take her back to the real world. But eventually, she would stop fearing him. She would realize how much he wanted her, and would forget about Sasuke. By force, if necessary.

He touched a tendril on one of the plants nearest him with his finger. This would trigger a reaction in the flowers on her floor, causing them to spew out invisible, odorless sedative gas. He wanted to see just how she'd react without actually conversing with her. Like a dangerous experiment, this would take time.

* * *

Sakura found her way back to the room with the mirror soon enough. She sat on the soft-as-a-cloud bed again, this time in an unbelieving daze. 

_Oh my god…Itachi…he's really here…what do I do? What's he done with Naruto? I hope he's still alive…what's that freak want me here for? Am I a hostage for Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei to negotiate for? Oh, I wish Naruto was here…_

Too many thoughts rattled around in her head. It was making her tired. She suddenly realized how sleepy she was. That was odd, her sleep pattern was usually hours away from whatever time this was. It had still been light outside when she was there.

She gazed at the queen-sized bed she had woken up to this strange place in. She'd just rest her eyes for a moment, she told herself. Just for a moment. Then she'd find out what this weird castle-island was…

She was sound asleep only a few seconds after her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Itachi treaded through the carpet of greenery, holding his breath to avoid the sleeping gas. The moment he entered the room Sakura slept in, he closed the door and inhaled. The sedative was dissipating here. That was good. 

He approached her sleeping body, imagining her reactions to his presence after she realized she would be his forever. Her bright green eyes would no longer hold a frightened expression, and she'd submit to his will without any rebellion.

Those eyes were closed now, in a peaceful slumber. Her rose-colored tresses were draped across her curved shape. To him, she was a work of art created by some divine master of the human form.

He touched her cheek, allowing himself to get lost in the feeling of her skin's softness. This girl was truly a diamond below her rocky exterior.

He had the whole operation planned out. He tapped her forehead and, using a chakra-free technique he'd picked up from an astral-projection tutorial from back in the Leaf village, allowed his consciousness to fall into her dream world.

* * *

_Darkness was everywhere. There was no sky, no horizon. Just black. As if the world was nothing more than the inside of a package. _

_Itachi saw Sakura, standing alone in her bleak universe. In her dream, she was glowing, the only light in her shadowy little world. She had her hands clasped in front of her, as if in prayer. _

_He noted the fact that she couldn't see him. Unlike her, he hadn't acquired that white glow, meaning he was shrouded in darkness. An advantage, in his case. _

_The first thing to remember when projecting oneself into another's dream was, one always has rule over what their form may be. Itachi remembered this well. Using his limited power in this place, he concentrated on an image of Sasuke. After a few moments, he walked confidently toward the glowing girl. _

_Sakura heard his footsteps and turned around, her face showing how nervous she was. However, her eyes lit up when she saw his conjured form. _

_"Sasuke-kun!" she squealed happily, her glow becoming a little brighter. She ran to him and threw her arms around the person she thought was her beloved. _

_"Sakura…" mumbled Itachi, using Sasuke's voice. "Where are we?" he asked, secretly enjoying getting to hold her the way his brother did. _

_"I don't know, but it's okay now because you're here…Nothing bad ever happen when you're with me…" she said, smiling cutely. _

_Her pale light had become a blaze. Itachi would have loved to stay and see how bright it would get, but his fleeting time here was almost up. There was only so long he could stay in her mind before getting trapped there, at least for the first time. _

_"Sakura…please, forgive me, but I have to go now," he said, backing away from her. _

_Sakura's face fell. "What? Why? Don't go, Sasuke-kun!"_

_She reached out a hand as if to pull him back, but he was already gone, disappearing into the murkiness of her dreamed-up universe. _

_The last thing Itachi heard before retuning to his own mind was her calling Sasuke's name. She sounded so frightened, like a child without a parent's guiding hand. He'd have to give her some comfort in her next fantasy. _

* * *

Sakura bolted upright, convinced that someone was in the room with her. She blinked a few times, wondering where she was. Then the memories crashed down from above. The castle. That voice. Her dream. 

Any hope she had held on to that it was just a hallucination disappeared when she glanced again at the reflective glass several feet away. The same scar-less face as before gazed back at her.

She shivered. Someone had been there. She had sensed their presence. But the room was empty now, except for her and the mass of plant life.

She tried lifting herself off the bed, but couldn't. A wave of panic seized her mind. Why couldn't she move?

She realized that several vines had somehow grown across the floor and over her while she slept. These were tying her down like ropes. She broke several of them with her fists and shrugged off the rest. How long _had_ she been asleep? No plant could grow that fast in a few hours.

_"She's awake. Good."_

Sakura froze. Her hand reached down to her thigh, searching for the double-bladed knife she'd pulled out of the wall. It wasn't there. But Itachi was here, and messing with her. She became rather ticked off over that thought.

"Show yourself, you coward!" she demanded, hoping her nervousness didn't show in her tone of voice.

He wasn't answering. Trying to psyche her out. Well, two could play at that game.

"You like playing with people's heads?" she murmured. "Here's something to play with."

She clasped her hands together, forming a succession of seals. He'd see right through this jutsu because of his Sharingan, but in the split second it took him to call it up, she'd be on the offensive.

"Eternal darkness genjutsu! Kokuangyo no ju-"

She stopped. Something was wrong. Her chakra wasn't rising up, the way it always did. In fact, she couldn't feel any energy at all.

"Come on, come on, I can't be out of chakra…" she mumbled, straining to bring up even the tiniest flare of power. No result. She let her hands fall to her sides.

_"Do you see it now? The barrier around this world prevents all use of illusionary or otherwise chakra-consuming techniques."_

"Shut up!" she screamed at the air. She'd been hiding how hopeless she had felt, but now it didn't seem worth it. Curling up in a ball on the bed, she prayed weakly that there was still some chance it was all a dream. But it wasn't. It was a harsh, reality-infused nightmare.

And this time, Sasuke wasn't there to wake her up.

* * *

Woo...angst. Fun. No, Naruto's not dead. Yes, there will be fighty-fighty :) 


	29. Rescue Squad Of One

**Chapter twenty-nine: Rescue Squad of One

* * *

**

_"Oh, Sasuke-kun…I was so scared…" Sakura sobbed as she felt a comforting hand stroke the back of her head. "I was afraid you wouldn't come…"_

_"Shh, it's all right now," answered the Uchiha, hugging Sakura protectively. "I'm here for you. I won't let him hurt you."_

_"Thank you…thank you, Sasuke-kun…" she whispered. _

_"I'll always protect you," he answered, lifting her chin up. "Because I love you."_

_Sakura closed her eyes as he kissed her softly. The feeling of his lips on hers always made everything seem not so bad after all. Sasuke would look after her, just like he promised._

_"Mmm…" she mumbled, gripping his silky hair. "Sasuke-kun…"_

_He continued to kiss her, his hands slowly sliding up and down her back. She was enjoying his heated touch, but it seemed unusual behavior for him._

_She gasped in surprise when he kissed, almost bit, her roughly enough to slightly bruise her pale skin._

_She pushed at him weakly, only managing to pull her head back. "S-Sasuke-kun, what are you…?"_

_"Sakura…"_

_She couldn't help noticing something different in his voice before he started kissing her again. It sounded lower, more growling. And something menacing glittered in his dark eyes. It scared her._

_"Sasuke-kun, please stop," she protested, her hands on his chest pushing herself away from him. "This isn't like you…"_

_"…I'm sorry…" he murmured, the strange look in his eye disappearing. "I didn't mean to frighten you…"_

_"Oh…no, it's all right…" she murmured, allowing him to hug her again. "I just…got a little nervous there, that's…all…"_

_She realized it was getting harder to stay standing. Her energy was quickly disappearing. Somehow she was wobbling on her feet and barely able to keep her eyes open._

_She yawned a little. "I…I'm so sleepy all of a…sudden…"_

_She felt his hand slide under her legs, lifting her up. A moment later she was placed on her back, on something cushiony-soft._

_"There you go…" he murmured, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Go on, take a rest…I'll watch over you."_

_"Thank you…Sasu-…-ke-kun…" she yawned, closing her eyes. Her cheeks turned a little redder when he lay down next to her, kissing her softly before wrapping an arm around her waist._

_"I love you, Sakura…" he whispered, knowing full well she could hear him, but not see him. "You're my angel."_

_As he spoke, he kept his voice the same, but dropped the illusion around him. His black hair grew back to its normal length, and two diagonal lines appeared on his face._

_Itachi gently kissed her on her forehead, just the way her precious Sasuke would've done._

_"Do you love me, Sakura?" he whispered in her ear again, making her blush. In her "sleep," she smiled warmly, her eyes still closed._

_"Of course…I love you…" she murmured, scooting a little closer against his body in her blind pleasure. "I love you…more than anything…"_

_"Good, good…you know you belong to me alone, right?"_

_She nodded sleepily. "Yes…I'm yours…Sasuke-kun…"_

_He cringed at the sound of his brother's name on her soft lips. If only she'd stop saying it…_

_"Sleep now, Sakura…" he murmured, lightly touching each of her closed eyelids. "Goodbye," he mumbled quietly enough so she wouldn't hear. "I'll see you again soon."_

_Her unmoving form remained in place as he slowly drifted out of her dream world. Only when her eyes fluttered open again did she realize he was gone. His last insight into her mind was of a single tear rolling down her face as she whispered that name again. _

_That accursed name that he would someday replace with his own._

* * *

"Unnh…" 

Sakura groaned a little as she wriggled up into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes. Her bleary vision was greeted by the same green plants on white walls as before. But…she couldn't remember falling asleep. The last thing that had happened was her sitting on the bed in this strange room, then…

She realized she had been sitting curled up _on top_ of the bed before. Now, she was hugging her pillow _under_ the velvety bed sheets. Someone had come in, someone had made her fall asleep again and moved her under the covers.

And, she noted, glancing to the side, someone put a vase with a flower in it next to the bed.

A thin, glass jug sat atop the squat table next to her head. Inside it, a single white rose stood halfway submerged in clear water, leaning against the glass. It had just begun to bloom in the room's heat, its petals remained in the act of opening.

_It can't have been there long, then…_

But who had gone to all the trouble of preparing things this way? The only other person she knew of that was here was…

Her stomach twisted. Itachi must've kidnapped someone else along with her. That someone could be keeping her alive as use for the criminal as a hostage, maybe.

_I'll find out who it is…then we'll find Naruto and escape, or Sasuke-kun or Kakashi-sensei will come get us out…_

She blinked back unexpected tears at the thought of her teammates.

_They must be worried sick about me…_

But in the meantime, she'd give her captor as much grief as possible.

* * *

"I'll give you one last chance. _Where. Is. She._" 

Though his multiple wounds bled profusely onto the grassy forest floor, Kisame managed an arrogant smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Lover-boy?"

Kisame's head throbbed painfully when Itachi's brother gave him another murderous glare. He knew the younger Uchiha wasn't as careless in using his Sharingan powers as his older brother, but the katana blade held against the shark-man's throat proved to be quite difficult to deal with nonetheless.

"Tell me where they are," demanded Sasuke. "You're going to die either way, so make yourself useful."

"Bite me," sneered the Akatsuki member.

"Don't tempt him," murmured Kakashi, carrying an unconscious Naruto over his shoulder. Luckily, there was no damage to the hyperactive shinobi other than a wound on his shoulder, but Sakura and Sasuke's brother were nowhere to be found. Even Pakkun and Kakashi's other dogs had been unable to find any trace of their scent.

"Where is your partner? What's he done with Sakura?"

"Slit her throat and threw her in a river."

Kisame winced when Sasuke's blade cut a shallow line into the soft flesh of his neck.

"You're testing my patience. Tell me where they are," hissed the enraged Leaf ninja.

"K-Kakashi-san, I found something," muttered Kurumi in an attempt to distract herself from the sight and smell of all the blood splashed across the small clearing.

Kakashi turned towards her, letting her drop something into his outstretched free hand.

"Hmm…what's this?" he murmured, turning it over. "Itachi's ring. How odd."

"What's your partner's ring doing lying around in the grass without a finger to wear it?" whispered Sasuke without taking his eyes off of his captive.

Kisame remained silent.

"Answer me!"

"Sasuke, Sasuke. You might be a Leaf Jounin, but you're doing it all wrong," said Kakashi, gently depositing Naruto in Kurumi's arms before turning back. He sauntered over to the other two, and looked at Kisame with his visible eye.

"Now…we need to think of a suitable punishment for our little friend if he doesn't give us any information," muttered the silver-haired Jounin. "Tell me…have you ever tried kushikatsu?"

Sasuke glanced at his former sensei with a look that clearly expressed his doubt in the man's sanity.

"It's quite delicious," continued Kakashi, ignoring Sasuke. "You see, it's made from meat, poultry or _seafood_…"

Sasuke noticed his captive wince slightly.

"…Deep-fried in oil and _skewered_…"

The shark-man visibly twitched.

"…On sticks, much like shish-kebabs. Now, I wonder…" Kakashi paused for emphasis, his visible eye glittering evilly. "What it'd be like to try and make it for ourselves, hmm?"

Even Kurumi noticed Kisame's expression of pure terror.

"You…you…"

"However, I must warn you," drawled Kakashi, "that I claim dibs on the best cuts."

"That's fine by me, sensei."

At that point, the mood of serious battle was completely shattered by the soprano scream that emitted from the tiny clearing.

"The ring! The ring! Don't eat me! I don't taste good! GAAAAAAH!"

"Ah, finally some answers. What about the ring?"

"I-I dunno, but, but…they're in there! Don't ask me how!"

Sasuke smirked as Kakashi turned over the piece of jewelry in his hand. "Wuss."

"Hmm…" muttered the older Jounin. "I haven't seen a seal like this in almost thirteen years…"

"What? What is it?"

"It seems," murmured Kakashi, his brow furrowed in concentration, "that this ring's been modified to accommodate a kind of…teleportation, am I right?"

Kisame nodded quickly, still wide-eyed in panic.

"To where, exactly?"

"I…I don't know, some place he goes to sometimes…I don't know, really!"

Kakashi placed a hand over the hilt of Sasuke's sword, nodding. "Here, I'll watch the fresh meat. Try and see if you can find a way to activate it, your chakra's more similar to his than mine."

Sasuke released his blade, taking the ring as his former sensei dropped it into his hand. Squinting, he examined it, searching for any sign of a use other than ornamentation.

"There's…there's a carving, in the back…" he muttered. "If that's the seal, then…"

Nodding to himself, he sent a jolt of chakra into the tiny piece of jewelry, flicking in the air to free his hands for a hand sign.

"Kai. Release."

Everyone in the clearing clamped their eyes shut the moment a blazing white light spewed from the tiny ring. After a moment, Sasuke managed to crack one watery eye open, wincing as he stared at the direct source of his optical pain.

The tiny ring had grown to the size of a circular doorway, its frame spinning slowly with a bright, pulsating glow. However, the doorway's center remained solid, shimmering softly and completely opaque.

"Hmm…interesting…" muttered Kakashi, the sword he held still placed precariously close to his captive's neck. "It's another seal, Sasuke. Try and find a way to break through it."

"Yeah, I know…" mumbled the Uchiha, squinting at the doorway as he tried to deduce how to get past it.

_Sakura's on the other side of this thing…__If Itachi went to the trouble of hiding her this way, he'd make sure it'd be impossible for anyone but him to get through…Anyone but him…anyone…but…_

"I got it."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, summoning his chakra. When he opened them again, they were a blood-red color with a three-pointed swirl in the center. The forbidden bloodline secret.

Kakashi gazed in admiration as the wall of light slowly slid apart with a deep rumbling sound, revealing only a long, shining hallway beyond it.

"Go on, Sasuke," he ordered when his former pupil glanced back at him. "Naruto's wound won't heal for another few hours, and I've got my hands tied here. I know you can do this by yourself. Find Sakura, and get out of there. Don't go looking for a fight with Itachi, but do what you have to if you two meet."

"Will do," muttered the Uchiha, walking confidently through the gleaming portal. It blazed with blinding light again, before vanishing, leaving only a tiny ring dropping back down into the grass.

Kurumi gently lowered Naruto to the ground, rushing over to pick up the little piece of jewelry for Kakashi.

"He…he'll be ok, won't he?" she stuttered, glancing at Kakashi with a worried expression.

"Of course," answered Kakashi in a deceptively light tone. "He's my student, he'll be just fine. However," he continued, turning back to the terrified fish-man, "I wish I could say the same for our little friend here."

Kisame's expression changed back from surprise to terror again.

"Y-you wouldn't…th-that's cannibalism!"

Kakashi scratched his obscured chin with his free hand. "No, not really, but I've decided you'd be too tough and stringy."

Kisame whimpered a little as Kakashi kept talking.

"However, we can't let your naughtiness go unpunished. Oh Kurumi-sama, tell me. Have you ever noticed that if humans hang upside-down for extended periods of time, they turn red instead of pink? I wonder what'd happen to someone who was _blue_…"

* * *

Ha, yeah. I think I might keep Kisame alive, he provides the comic relief. and woot, Sasu gonna save his widdle Saku! (Legend of Zelda music plays in background) Gah! too many videogames! they're eating my MIND! BTW, kushikatsu is actually quite delicious. try it sometime. 


	30. The Forces Gather

**Chapter thirty: The Forces Gather **

**

* * *

**

_Blood-red skies mirrored the land that lay below it. The darkened ground glimmered silently with crimson liquid splashed across the barren terrain, reflecting the scarlet glow of departed life._

_Sakura struggled desperately against the chains that held her against an unmovable wall, her eyes rapt to the scene unfolding before her._

"_Naruto!" she shouted, tears streaking her face. "Naruto, don't do this! Just run, please, run!"_

_In front of her stood her blond teammate, his back to her as one hand clutched at a deep stomach wound while the other weakly tried to summon another Rasengan._

"_N-no way…Sakura-chan…" he coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. "I promised Sasuke…I'd protect you…if he couldn't…"_

"_Naruto, just run!" shouted Sakura, fighting against her restraints. "Run, you'll be killed!"_

"_Have you lost such faith in him, Sakura?"_

_She flinched at the sound of that icy drawl. The same one that had echoed throughout her mind before the others had dropped dead._

_She lowered her watery eyes, her shivering causing her chains to jingle against one another. Around her lay the mutilated bodies of nearly everyone she knew. Kakashi, her parents, the other Leaf shinobi…Naruto was the last one standing._

"_Naruto, if I ever ask you to do anything ever again, just run!" she shouted again. "Please…please just run…I don't want you to die!"_

"_I…won't…" coughed the blond. "'Cause someday…I'm gonna be Hokage…and what kind of leader…would I be, if I…couldn't even protect my friends?"_

"_Naruto…" sobbed Sakura. "Naruto, please…"_

"_You should've listened."_

"_No!" screamed Sakura when a cold hand seized her teammate's throat, lifting him up until his feet no longer touched the ground. "No, stop! Let him go! Naruto!"_

_She froze at the sound of a sickening crack, and stared in shock and horror as her friend's lifeless body fell to the ground._

"_Naruto! NARUTO!" she screamed, thrashing against her chains. _

"_He's dead."_

_Sakura fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, "Naruto…Naruto, no…"_

_She flinched at the sound of footsteps nearing her, squeezing her eyes shut._

"_Why…why would you do this…?" she whispered when the footsteps stopped. "Why…?"_

_She brought herself to raise her head and look into a pair of frosty black eyes. It pained her to see how different they looked, she had forgotten how ruthless he had once been. Maybe it was all the memories of those eyes holding only comfort and love that made her forget._

"_Why…Sasuke-kun…why?"_

"_Tell me," he hissed in monotone, ignoring her question. "Do you hate me?"_

_She said nothing, only shivering with closed eyes as his breath floated past her cheek._

"_I took their lives," he continued. "Every one of your friends, your family…do you hate me for it?"_

_She hiccupped, swallowing with some difficulty and turning her face away._

"_Yes…" she whispered, "I hate you."_

_He smirked inwardly._

"…_Because you're not Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, turning her face back to glare at him. "He would never do something like this! I don't know who you are, but you're not him!"_

_She gasped at the feeling of a hand brushing across her cheek, and for a split second his soft gaze made her doubt what she had just said._

"_No…no, stop it," she protested, shaking her head. "Stop it!"_

"_Sakura…"_

"_You're not him! You're not! Leave me alone!"_

_She gasped when a pair of hands gripped her shoulders and shoved her against the wall she was chained to. A second later, she felt something icy-cold press against her face._

"_Mmmph!" she groaned, fighting against this imposter of her beloved. But fake or not, he had the same inhuman strength as Sasuke, meaning she could barely move under his grasp._

"_So…beautiful…" she heard the perfect imitation of Sasuke's voice say when the weight was lifted._

"_Let me go," she sobbed quietly while shying away, her chains clinking together. "Leave me alone."_

"_But Sakura…" whispered the voice. "I love you," it said, as she felt the same cold, lifeless skin as before touch her lips._

_In her mind, she panicked to discover she couldn't move her body as this creature disguised as Sasuke continued to kiss her. She fought back rising nausea and urged her limbs to move, though they remained disobediently motionless._

_Her eyes widened in surprise and subsequent terror when the wall she was leaning on gave way, allowing him to push her roughly to the ground. The bloody scene surrounding the two faded away, replaced with darkness only illuminated by a scarlet glow from somewhere overhead._

_She sat up in surprise when the weight of his hands disappeared, but could only whisper fearfully into the darkness even the pulsating red light couldn't penetrate when she discovered she was alone._

"_Sasuke-kun…I need you…where are you, Sasuke-kun?" she murmured, closing her eyes against more tears, praying inwardly for the affectionate embrace that never came._

_When she opened her eyes, her surroundings had changed again. She spun around to be met with the familiar buildings of the Leaf village, though…the colors were less bright, more dull and muted._

_She saw people, many of whom had been previously lying on the ground, their blood seeping into the dirt where they had fallen after being stabbed._

_She ran towards the first familiar face, stopping in front of him. _

"_Shikamaru! You're alive? Where's Naruto?" she asked in a desperate tone, only to be surprised when the Nara glanced at her once, but kept on walking, ignoring her words._

"_Kiba?" she said, turning to the dog-ninja instead. "Kiba, where's Naruto?"_

_He shook his head, trudging past her with an almost sickened look._

"_Tenten? What's gotten into everybody?"_

_She only received the same blank, and sometimes repulsed glances from everyone she spoke to, until-_

"_Naruto!" she exclaimed at the sight of her formerly deceased teammate. "Naruto, you're all right! What's going on with everybody?"_

_Just like the others, even her best friend would only look at her for a fleeting second, his nose wrinkling faintly in disgust._

"_Naruto, answer me!" she shouted, grabbing his arm. "What's wrong with everyone?"_

_He brushed her hand off, giving only a hint of a scowl._

"_Don't touch me."_

_Sakura stood frozen as her teammate disappeared into the crowd of lifeless faces._

"_W-what…?" she whispered, unwanted tears spilling down her face again. "Naruto…"_

_Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs, not bothering to wipe at the tears that had fallen freely ever since this nightmare had begun, until-_

"_Sakura?"_

_Just hearing her name said by a deep tenor voice was enough to force her head to jerk up in surprise. The moment her eyes met a soft onyx, everything vanished, leaving her kneeling on the floor as darkness once again took the place of a background._

_She hung her head when the glowing figure walked toward her. She wasn't worthy to be in the presence of a divine being, she was tainted, unclean, unfit for his attention. She had let herself be kissed by another. She had become weak._

"_Sakura, you were having a nightmare, weren't you?"_

_She flinched to feel a gentle hand alight on her shoulder. Her eyes traveled up to that familiar, porcelain-like face she had known for so long, though this time her heart fluttered to see the gentle compassion back in his sparkling eyes._

_Her own eyes leaked out tears again as her wish of being held in his arms was granted, though this time they were tears of relief._

"_S-Sasuke-kun…" she cried, her hands gripping at him to make sure he wasn't just another illusion. "Oh, Sasuke-kun…it was horrible…"_

"_Tell me about it," his soothing voice whispered._

_She hiccupped out, "There-there was this m-man, and he-he looked just like y-you, b-but he wasn't, an-and he k-killed everyone and then-and then he grabbed m-me and…and…"_

_He nodded understandingly, allowing her to cry into his chest. "And then?"_

"_And th-then nob-body would talk t-to me, and-and I…I was…"_

"_Shhh…it's ok…it was all just a bad dream…"_

"_Sasuke-kun…I…I don't know where I am," she managed to say without hiccupping. "Your…your brother took me, I don't know where, but…"_

_He nodded. "I know. I'm on my way to save you."_

"_But…but if you're here, then…?"_

_He sighed, running his fingers through her hair. "I…don't really know how I could be asleep, but…I went in through the portal he used and the next thing I know, here I am…"_

"_Sasuke-kun…" she whispered, "Please…don't go just yet. I don't like the dream versions of you, the real thing is so much better…Don't go…"_

_He kissed her forehead gently. "Of course, Sakura. Don't cry, I'm not going anywhere."_

"_Thank you, Sasuke-kun…I'm scared, what's gonna happen when we wake up?"_

"_I'll rescue you, that's what," he answered. "I'll get you away from him no matter what happens. And then we'll take Kurumi to her fiancé, you remember that, don't you? Well, after that we'll all go home, back to Konoha…how's that sound?"_

"_Uh-huh," she replied, nodding her head slowly._

"_Listen to me," he said, his hand grasping hers, their fingers laced together. "We're gonna make it out of this. We've been through so much worse than this already, we're both gonna be just fine, 'k?"_

"_Ok."_

"_That's my girl," he murmured, smiling at her._

_Sakura's eyed widened when she remembered something._

"_Sasuke-kun, what about Naruto?"_

"_The idiot? He's fine, we found him unconscious, but completely fine."_

"_Oh…" she breathed in relief. "That's good…I was so worried about him…"_

"_Kakashi's watching him, he should be up and throwing a tantrum about something by now."_

_Sakura managed a weak smile. "Yeah…"_

"_He's fine, but the important thing is, you are too."_

_Sakura snuggled closer against his chest. "I'm always fine when I'm with you, Sasuke-kun."_

_Their heads jerked up in unison when the ground shook with a rumbling sound. Sasuke squeezed her hands, stepping backwards._

"_We're waking up…" he murmured, glancing around the two. "Sakura, just sit tight. I'll come for you."_

"_Oh…ok…" she said, nodding though her heart wanted him to stay._

"_Love you," he whispered, kissing her forehead quickly before letting go of her hands._

"_You too, Sasuke-kun…" she answered, watching him fade into the darkness as he waved to her. "You too…"_

_

* * *

_

Sakura groaned in frustration when her eyes fluttered open to be met with the same ivy-covered room as before. It always happened, she would leave the room to explore and suddenly find herself in her dream world, then wake up back in the first room again. It was as if something didn't want her straying too far from her prison.

"That's _it_," she grumbled, pushing herself off of the same bed for the thousandth time. "I'm _sick_ of this."

She stomped through the same door again, with a determined frown etched onto her face.

"You don't want me going too far…? Then I'll have to manage with what I _am_ allowed…"

She approached the various doors in the plant-covered hallway, breaking off the vines that protected them and smashing each in with her fist. Even without chakra, she still had her inhuman strength to rely on.

Each of the guarded rooms was empty but for sparse furnishings and a thick layer of dust, meaning they couldn't have been used recently. Eventually, only the tall, wooden double-doors remained.

Sakura breathed deeply, flexing the muscles in her arms for a split second before delivering a splintering punch. Itachi was the one playing with her, and she would find him and tear him apart, being sure to leave some alive so Sasuke could say he killed him. He had a few pride issues left unresolved.

Beyond the doors was no room, but something more like a hall. The stained-glass ceiling reached up hundreds of feet above Sakura's head, the sun behind it throwing brightly-colored patterns on the white-tiled floor. In the splashes of color, there were pictures. A writhing snake, its tail clamped in its mouth, slowly devouring itself. A tree bearing golden fruit with a butterfly-winged fairy sitting in its branches. A band of warriors, waving glinting swords as they fought back a hideous, furry monster.

_What was so special about this room that it had to be closed off?_

There was a shuffling sound behind her, and spinning around, Sakura watched in astonishment as the splintered pieces of wood she had shattered so easily were disappearing from the ground, only to reappear as the doors were slowly built back up to their former, unbroken stature. The cracks in the wood became invisible, it was as though they had remained in one piece this whole time.

_Wh…what's going on?_

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha groaned quietly as he pushed himself up off the floor into a sitting position. Traveling through the portal in his brother's ring had taxing side effects on the people using it. He closed his eyes while holding his forehead for a few minutes, in hopes that the dizziness and headache would subside.

_Come on, you've gotta go get Sakura. Get up, the headache will go away soon enough._

He made it to his feet, though still leaning one hand on the wall for support. With effects leaving the traveler vulnerable like this, it meant the ring's universe wasn't used all that often.

He shuffled slowly down the starched-white hallway towards the sliding door at the end. Somewhere on the other side of that door was his Sakura, as well as Itachi.

There was no doubt about it. When this was all over, there would only be one Uchiha left in the world.

And it sure wasn't going to be Itachi.

* * *

Ok, sorry it took longer than usual. President's day laziness kicked in.

Anyways, I got it in one week, so no complaining. And yes, the first Sasu in Saku's dream was Ita, the SECOND was the real Sasu.


	31. Ignition

**Chapter thirty-one: Ignition

* * *

**

"Itachi Uchiha."

"Sakura Haruno."

She flinched inwardly when he said her name, her hand instinctively reaching down to an empty shuriken holster. He could have thousands of weapons at his disposal, this was not good.

"Why do you want me here?" she questioned, successfully keeping her voice from wavering though her knees threatened to start shaking again until she exhaled a held breath.

"Why are you keeping me here?" she rephrased when there was no answer. Remembering Kakashi's warnings, she focused on his hands in case they made any movements, keeping her line of vision well away from his eyes.

Still, no answers. In her mind, she measured how hard it would be to move around in this large, yet enclosed space. There were a few supporting pillars, those could possibly provide cover…

She blinked in surprise at the only visible exit he was currently blocking. The doors she had smashed before they had rebuilt themselves were slowly disappearing. Marble from the walls flowed over them like water until it solidified, leaving behind a flawless wall that gave no hint of the flimsy doorway that had previously stood there.

"You'll stay here."

She momentarily gasped at the voice coming from right behind her ear, but her reflexes luckily kicked in, her right leg drawing in and jerking out backwards. She pivoted on one foot, feeling satisfaction at having connected with something solid, but her eyes widened to find her opponent had vanished.

But, she had just successfully kicked him in the side. Either there was something wrong with him, or she had gotten lucky. It was probably the latter.

There was a whistling sound, as she realized something was flying towards her from behind. She strafed to the right as a book-sized shuriken embedded itself in the marble floor. Eyes wide, she disappeared behind one of the pillars as a resounding explosion went off from the tag attached to the weapon.

She leaned against the shadowy side of the marble column, one hand over her mouth to hide the sound of her quickened breathing. The Uchiha knew he could take her out easily, so he was pulling his punches. _Playing_ with her.

_Just gotta hold out 'till Sauske-kun gets here…where are you, Sasuke-kun?_

* * *

_This place is huge…how does he keep track of all of it?_

Sasuke absentmindedly nudged one of the vines covering the floor with his foot, one hand on the hilt of his second sword (Kakashi still had the first) in case it moved.

Apart from all the bizarre plants, the entire castle seemed lifeless. There were no blazes of chakra signaling human life, nor the common noises that came from insects and rodents. Everything was eerily quiet, like the place had been bustling with life at one point but now everything had vanished.

_If I was him, where would I hide prisoners I don't want found…?_

In plain sight?

He cautiously felt one of the open spaces of marble, ready to jerk his hand back in case it held the same trap as with Orochimaru and Ino. However, the stone remained smooth, flat, and one hundred percent solid.

He frowned, stepping away from the wall and glancing back at the hallway's corner. There _was_ something about this place, but it was too weak to figure out what. He started walking again, careful of tripping on the vines. The _something_ seemed to get stronger, but what it was exactly remained a mystery.

* * *

Squeezed behind the pillar's thin shadow, Sakura considered her options. Anything frontal and obvious would result in certain death. On the other hand, anything involving a mess of tiny details would undoubtedly be noticed by those eyes, she knew this from all the time spent training with Kakashi and Sasuke.

_Where are you, Sasuke-kun?_

"You know he won't come."

She stiffened at the voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He knew where she was, the room only had four columns. But how could he read her thoughts?

_He's lying…Sasuke-kun promised me he'd come, and he's never broken a promise to me…_

"He cares more about killing me than saving you."

_If he thinks he's going to fool me with that, he's insane._

Concentrating on how to stay alive long enough for Sasuke to arrive, she failed to notice the vines, guided by her opponent's mind, slowly glide up the other side of the pillar and gather silently, their tendrils gradually curling around the to the dark side of the column.

Sakura's head jerked up at the sound of something rustling softly, making a soft hissing sound as it slid over polished marble. She glanced down when something slithered across her foot. That distraction was all the other vines needed to attack.

Itachi smirked inwardly when his obedient plants slowly pulled her thrashing body around to the light side of the column. She managed to break a few of them in a desperate attempt to escape, but more took their place until she could only wriggle pathetically against the plants tying her down like ropes.

At a wave of his hand, the ones covering her mouth dispersed, allowing her to gasp and cough a few times from the vines' constriction.

"Don't struggle and they won't hurt you," he informed her.

Her head jerked up at the sound of the voice that had tormented her form the moment she had entered this nightmarish universe. She kept her gaze fixed on the feet that stood in front of her, far away from those crimson eyes.

"Why do you want me here?" she demanded, still flailing as much as she could. She stopped in surprise when a hand lifter her chin up, only remembering at the last second to look at something other than eyes.

"Because…" said Itachi, leaning even closer to Sakura's face, "you're _perfect_."

Sakura struggled against the vines that held her against the pillar. She couldn't move at all. And Sasuke's creepy brother _liked_ her? Ew. That was just wrong on so many levels. Through her repulsion she felt a sense of extreme terror at her predicament.

"Get away from me, you f-" she tried to shout, before her voice was muffled by her captor abruptly shoving his mouth against hers. She tried to shake her head to get rid of him, but he wouldn't let her go.

It was nothing like when Sasuke kissed her. It felt wrong, dirty even. There was no rush of fluttery warmth in her heart, only cold emptiness. It disgusted her.

Separating, he smirked and murmured, "You know you enjoyed that."

She spat at him. "You're a filthy animal."

"Am I?"

"You are," she growled. "You're a depraved psychopath who deserves to drown choking in his own vomit."

"Maybe. But at least until then, I have you…"

"Stop it!" she protested as the Akatsuki member kissed her neck. "Stop it, leave me alone!"

**

* * *

**The _something,_ whatever it was, had reached its climax.

Sasuke shook his head, blinking in confusion. This stretch of hallway looked exactly like the last five hundred he had explored. But something felt different, something almost called out to him from a particular spot.

He stepped closer to one of the walls, again feeling the cold marble from which the strange feeling seemed to originate. It felt the same as the last patch of wall.

"He doesn't love you. He never did."

Sasuke jolted back, his hand on the hilt of his sword at the sound of that cold speech he had heard in nightmares of the massacre of his family.

"You're lying! Back off!"

He froze at the sound of a high-pitched, absolutely terrified voice protesting against the previous speaker. That was the voice he remembered affectionately whispering his name and singing love ballads for him.

"I wouldn't lie to you…"

"Stop it! Let me go! I don't want you, I want Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke gave the marble wall a well-placed blast to a spot in the stone with his hand, seeing as it seemed no chakra could be used to strengthen the blow. The marble fractured instantly, cracking and groaning before crumbling in a massive cloud of dust and stone chips. His sword was whipped out of its sheath as he darted into the hidden room behind the wall, however he stopped and stared at the scene before him.

There was his hated brother, holding the girl he loved against a stone pillar. Sakura's wide, frightened eyes met with his as her face filled with hope. He noted she had lost the scar below her eye, but her voice was unmistakable.

"Sasuke-kun! Help me!"

That was all he needed. Sword drawn, he advanced through the splintered wood.

"Let her go, Itachi. This is between you and me." He sent Sakura a glance that promised to rescue her from the older Uchiha.

Itachi turned his head to face Sasuke. As he stepped away from the column, the vines holding Sakura captive detached as well, staying wrapped around her like ropes. Holding Sakura's immobilized arms behind her with one hand, he slowly backed into the center of the floor. Sasuke's grip on his blade tightened.

"You don't need to do that. I won't hurt her," he informed Sasuke. "Although how one as pitiable as you ensnared such a beautiful creature is beyond me," he said, stroking the top of Sakura's head. She squirmed in his grip, her pleading eyes riveted to Sasuke.

"I'll say it again. Let her go. She has nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary…I find this one rather pleasing to have around. I think I might keep her for myself. She would be the perfect female to restore the glorious Uchiha clan."

"I'm not an object!" seethed Sakura. "I don't belong to anyone, least of all you! Lemme go, you self-centered troll."

Itachi sighed, not in exasperation, but adoration. "You see, little brother? She has such spark, such…spirited liveliness. One so undeserving as you should learn to obey your superiors when they give you an order."

Sasuke ground his teeth. He couldn't attack Itachi, not until Sakura was safely out of the way. He'd probably use her as a shield, knowing Sasuke wouldn't try anything if she was there. What would work against him?

* * *

Sakura felt the same as when she'd been alone, defending her teammates from the Sound ninja in the Forest of Death. She couldn't move without getting rid of the plants first, and couldn't perform a jutsu because of the barrier. How could she escape this?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sasuke making a run towards her. What was he doing? A frontal assault would be wasted. She gasped for a second when he disappeared, knowing he'd reappear behind Itachi. There was a swirl of color, then she found herself frozen and kneeling on the polished floor. Itachi had paralyzed her just as Ino had, using the pressure points in her neck. Her now-limited field of vision allowed her to glance upward. Her eyes widened.

Sasuke had swung at Itachi's head. Itachi had deflected it with his own hidden blade, but the motion had redirected the force towards Sakura. To prevent her from being impaled, he had stopped the sword with his free arm.

A drop of his blood splashed onto her nose. She shivered, one of the few things she could do while frozen.

Sasuke's sword flashed again, this time Sakura found herself lifted out of the battle zone, then lowered gently onto the floor beside an opaquely white wall. Through her being unable to move, she felt the vines holding her captive slither away, knowing she couldn't try to escape.

"It seems I have underestimated you," stated Itachi, without turning to Sasuke. He moved close enough to Sakura's ear that she could hear him whisper as he wiped the splash of blood from the bridge of her nose. The motion made her shudder in disgust.

"I'll be back for you, my little angel."

_How dare he?!_ screamed her Inner. _That's Sasuke-kun's nickname for me! Only HE'S allowed to call me that! Not this toad!_

Unfortunately, he had turned her head toward the wall, so she couldn't see what was happening. She felt as though she might suffocate. What was going on? All she could hear were clangs of metal. What if Sasuke needed her?

She'd have to get rid of this paralysis first. She tried breathing deeply, relaxing her muscles. _Baby steps, _she told herself. _Try moving one finger first. Then two. And so on…_

* * *

Sasuke planned out his next move in his head. If he came at him from the side…no, that would leave too many openings. There seemed to be no way to get through his brother's defenses.

He glanced for a moment at Sakura, curled up against the wall. If he lost, he'd probably never see her again. Itachi would kill him and take her for himself. He forced himself not to think about that. Right now the important thing was getting rid of Itachi so that wouldn't happen.

The barrier kept him from using his Sharingan, but it also meant Itachi couldn't use his. Neither could he use his Amaterasu, or any other jutsu. If only his physical arts were weak, then Sasuke could have taken him easily…

_Come on, you idiot, _said his brain. _You spent all that time training under Orochimaru! Put it to good use for once!_

* * *

Woo, cliffies. I'm evil. Bwahahaha.


	32. Goodbye, Little Brother

**Chapter thirty-two: Goodbye, Little Brother

* * *

**

Still working off the effects of Itachi's pressure paralysis, Sakura eventually managed to urge her sluggishly disobedient body into a kneeling position on the cold floor. For a split second, she saw Sasuke crossing blades with his brother, and then the two were gone. Another flash, and they reappeared somewhere else before disappearing again. Her eyes could barely follow their movements, they were both going so fast.

What she didn't noticed was a thin green tendril edge away from the pillar closest to her, slithering along the floor and rising up behind her like a cobra about to strike. Without warning, the vine lashed out, sliding around her throat and yanking her backwards. She clawed at the vine, only to have others join it. The sheer number of them attempted to restrain her struggling again, but she refrained from crying out, in case it distracted Sasuke from his fight. She'd have to break out herself.

"Stupid, stupid plants…" she groaned, flailing weakly. "I _hate_ you stupid things…"

_Crunch-snap_ went the otherwise-defenseless vines as they broke under her fists. Eventually, most of them were lying in pieces on the floor, the few left were disposed of shortly afterwards.

"Ha. Take that," she murmured to herself in triumph.

_Ok…plan of action…Sasuke might need your help…_

* * *

Up. Left. Down. Block. Left. Up. 

_Slash-clang!_

Right. Down. Block.

_Ke-chack!_

_Ugh…he's as strong as ever…_

_Whoosh-crack!_

The two blades collided repeatedly, occasional sparks flying from the point of contact as the multicolored light from overhead cast strange hues on the two figures locked in battle.

Each could tell the other, even with his great strength, was gradually weakening.

After crossing blows for the thousandth time, both fighters skidded backwards, barely keeping from falling over in their exhaustion.

Sasuke inhaled deeply, never taking his eyes off his opponent as they stood motionless. Beads of sweat were visible on both faces. Sasuke smirked. Who'd have ever thought the great Itachi Uchiha would have to put so much into a fight with his "weak little brother?"

_This is harder than I thought it'd be…This must be what it's like for shinobi like Lee, who can't use chakra at all…how does he do it? It's killing me…_

But if it was killing him, it had to be killing Itachi as well.

_Heh…I won't lose to you, big brother…not this time…_

"Impressive, Sasuke."

He flinched at the sound of his brother's voice.

"You've become…quite the adversary."

"No thanks to _you_," he spat, shooting the Akatsuki member a menacing glare. "You told me comrades were meaningless, and only hate led to true power…then tell me, brother…if that's true, why are you having such a hard time taking me down? After all, there's no possible way you could ever be _wrong_ about something"

It was only a flicker, but Sasuke could see the shadow that crossed his brother's face when he spoke. He was getting to him way too easily, the fatigue was having its way with both of them.

He continued to glare at Itachi as he caught his breath. He had no fear of being caught in the Tsukuyomi genjutsu, and so could look him straight in the eye, which held no sign of his thoughts whatsoever.

_Don't worry, Sakura…I can take him, I know I can…_

"Overconfidence usually leads to one's greatest downfall."

Sasuke flinched, but not because the Akatsuki member had appeared to read his thoughts.

_I'm getting careless…I'm giving off way too many signals, that's how he guesses what I'm thinking…gotta calm down, be still…be still…_

* * *

Without losing Sasuke in his line of sight, Itachi mentally ran through battle tactics he'd acquired over the years. This Sasuke was incredibly different from the one he remembered in terms of strength. But, he reasoned, if chakra had been involved the younger Uchiha would probably be dead already. 

_So, little brother…what will you do now? You know you'll never surpass me, and yet you keep fighting. Is it for that girl, Sasuke? In that case, it's too bad she already belongs to me._

* * *

_Ker-chang._

The two swords crossed again. Sasuke just managed to keep his grip steady as the two flew apart, only to rush at each other again.

_I can't let this drag out…it'll only give him a better chance of pulling out some secret trick and finishing me off…Got to finish it!_

An opening, however slim, finally came. He realized it was his chance while shifting to the side to avoid a thrust by his enemy's blade. His hands grasped the hilt of his sword, preparing to bring it down on his brother's unprotected shoulder.

_Yes! Final-_

There was a flash of movement and the next thing Sasuke knew, he was slammed backwards into one of the marble walls hard enough to leave a shallow crater with cracks fanning out from it in the whitish stone.

_H…How? What did he hit me with? It was so fast I couldn't even see its afterimage…What WAS that?_

His fingers still maintaining a weak grip on his sword, his free hand clutched at his stomach where whatever it was had hit him, trying to fight off dizziness and nausea at the same time. He coughed, feeling warm blood trickle out of his mouth as he tried to breathe.

_I can't pass out…not now…got to save Sakura…I can't lose now!_

"You are still too weak."

"Sh…shut up…"

He managed to raise his head while standing on shaking legs as his gaze met with Itachi's. The fight was taking its toll on him as well, strands of hair were loose from his ponytail and even his grip on his own blade was trembling slightly.

"I won't let you…take her…" Sasuke coughed, wincing at the piercing pain shooting through him.

"Little brother…she is already mine. Now get up. I don't want to have to kill you in such a pitiful state as this. It's a disgrace to your name."

_I'll kill you…you sick freak…_

Sasuke's breathing quickened a little when his brother's fingers were suddenly only a few inches from his left eye as Itachi's sword clattered to the marble floor.

"They will do you no good now…even the gap between our powers is nothing in this place."

_He wouldn't…_

Itachi showed no emotion as his brother's eyes widened in shock when his fingers moved gradually closer to his target. The sooty-black eyes that had previously belonged only to their mother.

* * *

The only sound Sasuke could hear was his own heart, beating faster as Itachi's fingers came ever-closer to his eye. 

_What's going on…? I…I can't move! No! I have to! Come on, move!_

His gaze shifted from his brother's face for a moment, his eyes widening even further. Itachi had only a split second to wonder what Sasuke was looking at before-

_CRACK._

Sasuke gaped.

Sakura stood, catching her breath as her outstretched fist dripped with a scarlet liquid, where his brother had been standing only a blink ago. A quick glance to his right revealed Itachi kneeling several meters away, attempting to staunch the flow of blood from a huge wound to his jaw.

"Don't you _dare_," hissed Sakura, "threaten my Sasuke-kun like that."

"H-how did…" whispered Sasuke as she helped him back up to his feet, allowing him to lean on her shoulder for support.

"You two were so caught up in each other…I just waited for the right time."

Sasuke managed a smirk before he began coughing up blood again.

_Sakura…you're become quite a shinobi. I'm proud of you._

"Sasuke-kun, you're bleeding internally. We need to get you out of here soon so I can fix it. Take him out, I know you can do it."

Sasuke smirked again, but it quickly vanished when he saw bare floor where Itachi had been kneeling only seconds ago.

"Sakura, he's getting aw-" he rasped before coughing again.

"I know, I know," she replied, breaking into a brisk trot toward the hole that worked as the room's exit. "Don't worry, we won't let him escape."

After several minutes to following the twisting hallways of the marble castle, Sasuke shrugged off Sakura's support. "I can walk it from here."

"Be careful, Sasuke-kun."

_Don't worry…I still have to get you out of here. I won't let him go this time._

Sakura followed closely behind him as he shuffled towards the door at the end of the plant-covered hallway that led out to the balcony overlooking the ocean. This was the last place their quarry could have fled to.

Sakura squinted in the bright glare of sunlight when the door leading outside was pushed open with a creak. The smell of salt suddenly filled the air as the semi-peaceful sound of waves crashing echoed around them.

"Sakura, stay in here," Sasuke-half ordered, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Please…just stay."

She gulped, wanting badly to accompany him but knowing he had to do it himself.

"Be careful…" she whispered, giving his hand a last squeeze before he pulled away. She kept the door open an inch or so with her foot, her heart pounding in her ears as she watched him walk out onto the balcony with a slight limp.

_Sasuke-kun, don't get yourself killed…_

"You won't run?"

Sakura blinked in confusion, then pushed the door open just a half-inch further, enough to see an unarmed Itachi, leaning on the short, thick marble wall surrounding the balcony for support as Sasuke approached him, sword in hand.

Sakura gasped when Itachi seemed to produce a kunai out of nowhere.

"Your purpose was to kill me, was it not?"

_Sasuke-kun, be on your guard, he might…_

She saw Sasuke stiffen as Itachi slowly brought the kunai against his own throat.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to deny you that pleasure."

"Why you-!"

"You've become a worthy adversary, little brother…but it is here we will both die."

"The only one who's dead here is _you!_"

Sakura's hand covered her mouth to muffle a silent scream as Sasuke rushed at Itachi, his sword held out to impale the missing-nin.

Sakura glanced at his target as the moment seemed to slow down.

Itachi's eyes met with hers, he knew she was watching.

She winced when he smirked at her, allowing the kunai to fall from his hand until it clanged against the floor.

Sakura's eyes shut as a stomach-turning _crunch_ reached her ears.

When she peered out from behind the doorway again, the seemingly-impossible dream of Sasuke Uchiha greeted her vision.

Sasuke was still, panting in his fatigue as he kept his grip on his blade.

Itachi lay slumped against the marble, Sasuke's sword rammed right through him. Its tip was visibly embedded in the once chalky-white marble, now stained a deep crimson.

"Well done…Sasuke…"

Sakura could see him wince when Itachi used his actual name.

"I'm sure Father would be…proud of you. It's such a pity…you'll have to tell him yourself soon."

"Shut your mouth," growled Sasuke. "I'm not going to die anytime soon. You're already finished."

To Sakura's surprise and jolt of terror, the dying Uchiha laughed, slowly and menacingly.

"Oh, how naïve, little brother. I'll watch you die like a trapped rat…from the afterlife."

Ignoring the furious Sasuke, Itachi closed his eyes, a triumphant smirk still plastered onto his blood-spattered face.

"Goodbye…Sasuke."

Sakura watched his head fall forward as his tensed body went limp.

Itachi Uchiha was dead.

"Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, flinging the door open and breaking into a run towards the victor. "You did it! You did it, he's gone!"

She was welcomed with a crushing embrace as she threw her arms around him, careful of his injuries and weariness. His hand stroked the back of her head as she heard his croaky voice whisper hoarsely.

"Yeah…But…what did he mean by…" he rasped before coughing up another drop or two of blood.

Sakura shook her head, as lost about the now-dead Akatsuki's prediction as he. "I don't know…but come on, we need to get out of here, I have to fix your-"

They both froze at a rumbling _crack_, their heads jerking up in unison.

Two pairs of eyes watched in shock as one of the castle's ivory towers was suddenly covered in a winding fissure. Two pairs of eyes watched as it fell in a slow arc, chunks of marble splashing into the turquoise sea as it tumbled over the side of the castle's wall.

"Sasuke, it's collapsing!"

Sasuke glared at the corpse in front of them. "This is what he meant. This world is influenced by _him._ If he dies, it falls apart. He wants to take us with him. Let's go!"

Sakura obliged, the two launching into a terrified sprint. Soon they were speeding through the vine-infested hallways as the walls around them began to crack and the ceilings started caving in. Sakura flinched when a particularly large block of marble landed only inches behind them, but continued running through the crumbling hallways, keeping a firm grip on Sasuke's hand.

She glanced around them when he skidded to a stop, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Sasuke-kun, we need to go!"

"This is…where I came in…" he coughed, spitting out flecks of blood onto the cracking white floor. The hallway had led to a dead end, with only a single doorway leading to anything else.

Sakura slid his arms over her shoulder again and used herself as a crutch so they could stumble towards it together. Behind the door was a tiny white room, still intact as if untouched by the destruction outside.

"Sasuke-kun, what do we do?" she asked, turning her head this way and that, searching for anything to get them back home.

"I…don't know…" he admitted, coughing again.

She placed a soothing hand on his head, wishing she could summon the familiar green energy that would stop his bleeding.

_How do we get home…? Naruto and Kakashi-sensei…we've gotta get back to them. So we can go home…back to Konoha…_

She closed her eyes, wondering if they'd live to see home again.

_We've gotta get back…Naruto needs to see Hinata again…I'd go get pestered by Tsunade-sama for something or other…Sasuke can tell everyone he finally killed his brother…_

A soft ringing sound snapped her out of her reverie. Her eyes widened in surprise to find the bare wall in front of them was changing, a giant circle appearing faintly as the rumbling outside the room grew louder, with cracks already worming their way into this last sanctuary.

"Sasuke-kun! It's triggered by memories! Think of home, think of the village and everyone in it!"

Sasuke nodded, closing his dulled eyes in concentration. Sakura watched, her heart filling with hope, as the circle became clearer, eventually turning into a solid, golden loop.

She clenched her eyes closed as a blinding light spewed from the circle's center, but somehow knew it meant this was the way out.

"Come on, Sakura. Let's get out of here."

She nodded, and before they stepped into the shining ring together, both glanced backwards at the devastation they left behind.

One more step forward, and everything went black.

* * *

:P WOOT! Good god, this was fun to write. it's Inuyasha the movie 2, the Princess Bride, and Lord of the Rings all rolled into one! Haha! 


	33. Sappily Ever After

**Chapter thirty-three: Sappily Ever After**

* * *

"Citizens of Kogane, we are gathered here today…"

"She looks nice, don't you think, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand and whispered back, "Yeah. She does."

Sakura smiled, glancing back to the center of attention located under an archway decorated with plastic doves and two bells tied together with a flowing white ribbon. In a way, she felt proud for the girl standing up there, clutching her flowers in sweaty hands and trying desperately not to sneeze.

_They forgot she's allergic…oh well, I'm sure she can make it…_

She remembered back to the snooty teen that had broken Naruto's nose for acting as her deafening alarm clock. The surprisingly studious girl who gave Sasuke a new way to insult and generally annoy Naruto. The girl they had come to think of as a friend.

_I hope she'll be happy here…_

"…In this holy hour on this sacred day, we bow down to the future…"

_That old guy sure can go on and on…_

Sakura smiled sympathetically, knowing Kurumi was barely restraining herself from turning around to seek comfort in her friends' glances. She often did the same thing herself, during big presentations Tsunade ordered her into.

_She must be pretty nervous up there…but that guy probably is as well…_

Sakura smiled inwardly for the brown-haired groom as he stole a glance at his soon-to-be wife. They both looked like little children standing up there, nervous and fidgety beyond rational thought. Like Academy-aged kids playing wedding in a grown-up world.

_But, they'll be happy…that guy's not a jerk, and Naruto found out the poor boy's actually a little afraid of girls…so he won't go cheating on her like some of these other pompous noble spawn…_

Naruto nudged her arm. "Sakura-chan, they're taking the vows."

She snapped back to attention as the two in the metaphorical spotlight turned toward each other, taking one another's hands and smiling nervously as the old priest murmured out the lines, each punctuated by a wheezing inhale. Sakura only caught about two words of it, but saw the groom's head nod as he smiled and spoke a clear, "I do."

The old priest turned toward Kurumi, repeating the lines without noticing the poor girl was practically shaking from nervousness.

The old man looked up, expecting the given answer. Kurumi was breathing quickly, her knees were visibly shaking. But from where she stood, she could see her friends watching. All three of them smiled encouragingly from where they were standing along with the other bodyguards.

The blue-haired girl took a deep breath, and squeaked out a nervous "I d-do."

The old priest's voice suddenly became booming as he closed the ceremonial scroll in front of him with a clap and a cloud of dust.

"Then, by the power vested in me from the gods above us, I now declare you…"

The dramatic pause did not go unnoticed.

"…Husband…and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

As applause radiated from the audience, the bride and groom, now lawfully wedded husband and wife, kissed, possibly for the first time for each of them.

"Aww…aren't they cute?" said Sakura, clapping along with the others.

"Yeah…ramen on me when we get home says she'll get tanked and break his nose at the reception."

"You're on, idiot."

* * *

"Hey, Kurumi! How's it feel to be a married woman?"

The blue-haired girl grinned embarrassedly. "I…don't know. I think I kind of messed up during the vows…"

"Nonsense," consoled Sakura. "You were great. It's ok to be nervous. Oops, I probably sound like your mother or something."

Kurumi smiled. "That'd be impossible, having a mom who's younger than me."

"Excuse me?" laughed Sakura, "I'm twenty-one."

"And I'm twenty-three."

Team seven was silenced. Even Kakashi stopped reading the latest _Icha Icha_ book to stare disbelievingly.

"You…there's no way," spluttered Naruto. "You're…you can't be more than eighteen! There's no way you're older than me!"

Kurumi looked vaguely insulted. "Hey, I know I'm short, but do I actually look that young?"

"I thought you were sixteen," muttered Sasuke.

"You just…okay, awkward moment…" murmured Sakura, waving away the discomfited subject. "So you age well. Lucky you. Anyways, tell us about the guy."

"Well…" muttered Kurumi, twiddling her fingers in a way that reminded Naruto of Hinata. "Yuta? He's…really quiet, actually…and kind of afraid of girls, so he doesn't talk much to or about us…But, he's really sweet, he brought me flowers and promised to be a good husband."

"That's so cute!" exclaimed Sakura, clapping her hands together. "I remember that one time Sasuke-kun-"

"You're not going to tell her about that, are you?" he groaned.

"Tell me about what?" prompted Kurumi, grinning evilly.

"He…sent me a summon-snake with a love letter tied to it once…it found me while I was in the bathtub…and you can figure out the rest."

Naruto and Kurumi snickered while Sasuke turned a faint shade of red.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan was probably all like, 'Oh my god, a snake! Kyaaaa! Kill it, kill it!'"

"Naruto, I believe there's a big slice of wedding cake over there with your name on it."

"Really? WHERE!"

Sakura watched their hyperactive friend dash off in search of sugary goodness. What hadn't been mentioned was the huge line he'd have to wait in to get his cake-related needs satisfied.

"You said that just to get rid of him, didn't you?" she asked smugly.

"Yeah, I did. But really, he deserves cake. Let him alone for a little while."

"Oh man! I gotta pee! Kagebunshin no jutsu! Hold my place in line for me, 'k?"

Sasuke sighed. "He always seems to forget any physical problems with him are transferred to his clones…"

Kurumi only stared in astonishment as a crowd of Narutos stampeded toward the restroom. Sakura was faintly reminded of the time they participated in the Konoha Sports Festival and Naruto…

"Hey Kurumi, wanna hear about the time Naruto peed himself in front of everyone?"

"Sure!"

Sasuke said nothing, realizing he was probably the only sane one left. Such is the life of the antisocial iceblock.

_Oh no…here come those bridesmaids…HIDE ME!_

* * *

"You're kidding, right? _Fireworks_ at a _wedding_?"

"It was my dad-in-law's idea…"

Naruto grinned in excitement through a mouthful of cake. "Fireworks? Awesome."

"Yeah, they're going to start in about forty-five minutes. You might want to find a good spot now, before everyone starts crowding outside to watch," explained Kurumi.

"Good idea. I'll go find a tree!"

The others watched Naruto sprint off, shaking their heads in amazement.

"The day he runs out of energy is the day the world collapses in on itself."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, you two," said Kurumi, blushing slightly as her glance around the room caused her to meet gazes with her new husband for a moment before looking away. "He has a good reason to go running off. You should claim a good spot, otherwise you'll be barely able to see the show."

"And you?" asked Sakura.

"I'll…be sitting with Yuta," she answered, glancing behind her again and blushing. "We're still getting to know each other…"

"Ok, have fun! Come on, Sasuke-kun, let's go find a good place."

"Alright, alright, you don't need to pull on me."

* * *

"Slow down, wouldja? I can't keep up!"

Sasuke sighed for the millionth time, helping Sakura across another bed of tree roots. "Maybe you should've thought twice before leaving your sandals at the inn and wearing those heels."

He heard her whine, feeling her hands grip his arm to keep from falling.

"But _you're_ the one dragging me all the way out here!" she protested, nearly stumbling over a small bush. "Ugh, that is _it!_"

Sasuke watched as she plopped herself down on a rock and stripped everything off of her feet. Seconds later she was back up again, this time much more comfortable in only her bare feet.

"Ok, let's go. Where are we going again?"

"Somewhere to get the best view of the fireworks, of course."

She shrugged, and the two continued their trek through the thin woods that covered the mountain the city of Kogane was situated at the foot of.

"This is already pretty high, don't you think, Sasuke-kun?"

"Not yet," he answered, his tone unreadable. "Not just yet."

She wondered for a moment just how far he planned on taking her towards the summit, because it was bound to be colder the closer they got to the top.

"It's just up here, don't worry."

_Stop reading my mind, you!_

"It's a good thing-…Oh, _no_…" she groaned.

"What? What's the matter?"

"I forgot my shoes back there!" she whined, slapping herself on the forehead.

"I'll get them if you want."

"No, no…it's all right…I'll go. Just wait here for me, 'k?"

He nodded, watching her go without stumbling back down the path they had been taking.

"I'll be back in a minute, I promise!"

* * *

"Where, oh where did I leave those stupid things…" murmured Sakura to herself as she wandered around the rock she had sat on to remove the uncomfortable footwear. "I left them here, I _know_ it!"

"Were you looking for these, miss?"

Sakura glanced up, "Oh, yes, thank y-"

She froze, blinking.

"What's the matter?" asked the person standing before her, a small child in a brightly colored kimono. Who just so happened to be floating several inches above the ground, surrounded by a sparkling mist that gave off no chakra signature whatsoever.

_Where have I seen…?_

"You…you…" she stammered. "You're that…you were on the Scroll of the City. Its patron spirit…are you…?"

"That's right! You're pretty smart!" giggled the child.

"You…you're the goddess Nishikawa!"

"You've got brains, for a human."

"But…" asked Sakura. "What…what were you doing at that village back then?"

"Trying to make a little money, of course! I couldn't just _take_ what I wanted, I have to pay for things just like you humans do. So I peddled my wares, so to speak."

"You made all those…?"

"Some, some…but the best? Nope. And that's why I'm here…"

"Wh-…why are you here?" stuttered Sakura, unused to being in the presence of an actual _goddess_.

"Because…" said the little deity, smiling bashfully. "I did a bad thing to you by accident…"

"What…kind of bad thing?" asked Sakura, growing uneasy.

"I…gave you the wrong one," admitted the little goddess. "Yours was…only a three-day-er. It ended at midnight on the third day. I'm so sorry, little human! Please forgive me."

The little goddess raised an eyebrow at Sakura's enormous grin.

"Um…aren't you upset…? Oh, well…I have to go now, I have more orders to fill out. I found the most darling little bracelet in this city, and I have to save up for it. Bye-bye, little human!"

Sakura remained smiling as the sparkling veil of cloud vanished as the little goddess faded from sight. She stepped over the where she had been floating and collected her shoes, glancing back over her shoulder before starting down the path again.

"Thank you…Nya."

* * *

"Hey, I'm back!"

Sasuke's head jerked up at the sound of that familiar voice, smiling as Sakura scooted next to him on the log he was sitting on.

"Hey. You seem happy."

Sakura shook her head. "No reason. Now come on, it's getting dark. Let's go."

She still grinned as he took her hand, leading her up to a mercifully flat spot on the mountain.

And beyond a little grove of trees was a sight that took her breath away.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun…"

A wide section of mountainside had been eroded into a mossy terrace, giving a spectacular view of the brightly glowing city below it. The stars overhead twinkled, the night's full moon illuminating the world with a pale white glow.

"It's…wow."

"Nice choice of words," he smirked, leading her over to a mostly moss-free, vaguely bench-shaped boulder. "Here you can see the fireworks perfectly."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're the best."

He smiled again, putting his arm around her as the two waited.

"Any minute now…"

"Sasuke-kun, look!"

They both watched as a bright globe trailing smoke was launched high into the air, seeming to disappear before exploding in a shower of radiating pink sparks. A second later, the resounding _boom_ echoed in the two ninjas' eardrums.

"Wow…" murmured Sakura as more fireworks exploded, sending out beautiful patterns of blue, white and green sparks, some golden ones even fizzling as they looped around themselves in a spiral before burning out.

"I just _love_ fireworks, don't you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Almost as much as _you_."

She giggled, turning her attention back to the bright lights blooming and fading amidst trails of smoke.

After a long spell of watching the show, the remaining smoke was finally blown away by the high-altitude winds, leaving the city below it glittering as brightly as ever.

"I think it's over."

"That was awesome!" gushed Sakura. "Those were so pretty!"

Sasuke smiled, almost nervously but glad she probably hadn't seen it. "Yeah…really pretty…"

Sakura noticed his sharp intake of breath before he spoke again.

"Sakura…?"

"What is it?"

His eyes were fixed on the city's faraway lights.

"I love you, Sakura. I just…wanted you to know that."

She hugged him, giving him a cheerful smile. "I love you too, big guy."

His hands grasped hers as he pulled back, still not looking at her.

"Sakura…?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor…close your eyes?"

"Ooh, is it a surprise?" she squeaked, obeying his words. "Tell me, is it? Surprises are fun!"

"Y-yeah…now…open."

She did so.

"Oh…" she gasped, her eyes widening. "Sasuke-kun…oh…"

"Sakura…you mean more to me than anything. I…I love you…and…this is…for you. It used to be my…mother's."

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Sakura, will you…"

He gulped, she could see the sweat on his face.

"Will you…"

_Oh, Sasuke-kun…_

"Sakura Haruno, will you…marry me?"

He looked confused when, her head bowed, tears began pouring down her cheeks as he held out the little gold band adorned with the Uchiha fan.

But this time, they were tears of joy.

"Oh, S-Sasuke-kun…"

He realized as she threw her arms around him that she was smiling more brightly then he had ever seen before.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun. Yes I will."

His heart nearly exploded as they leaned in to kiss. And as their lips met, one last firework went off in the background. If their eyes had been open, they would've seen the scarlet sparks fly out in the shape of a heart before dying away.

But unlike the fleeting beauty of a firework, they knew their love would last a lifetime.

* * *

Sorry it took so long! Test week and whatnot.


	34. Epilogue No Jutsu!

**Epilogue no Jutsu! **

* * *

"…And they all lived happily ever after," finished Sakura, closing the enormous black photo album in her lap.

"But what happened next?" demanded the frowning child sitting cross-legged on the brown sofa next to her.

"What happened next?" repeated girl on the other side.

"You know, sweetie," said Sakura, ruffling the first child's black hair. "They went back home and got married. Had a bunch of kids, too. Kids who are up past their bedtime."

"Aww," moaned the boy. "But it's a Friday!"

"You said we could stay up," complained the pouting girl.

"I said you could stay up till Daddy came home. That was twenty minutes ago."

"You let Kaoru stay up later!"

"That's because she's three years older than you two. Come on, up the stairs. And if either of you wake up Mikio, you're both on diaper duty tomorrow."

"Eew!" they both squealed, and clambered up the carpeted stairway to their shared bedroom."

"Was that necessary?" asked a deep voice from behind Sakura. "You know they never disobey you."

"Force of habit, what can I say," answered Sakura, grinning. "Those two need a little excitement or they get hyperactive."

Sasuke, still wearing his ANBU black ops uniform, sat down beside her, picking up the old photo album.

"You know, someday your distant descendants will be looking through this and saying "Look, there's Great-Great Grandma Sakura."

Sakura groaned. "Don't remind me."

"It's hard to believe it's been so long since then," murmured Sasuke, flipping open the album and touching his favorite picture. It showed a happy couple on their wedding day, along with the somewhat drunk best man and his bridesmaid girlfriend.

"You know Hinata's expecting soon," said Sakura, glancing at the photo. "They think it's a boy. Naruto's planning on naming it after you if it is."

Sasuke laughed. "That idiot."

"I think it's cute. Respectful, even."

"He's probably going to change his mind in a few days. Although if it is a boy, you'd feel obligated to do something in return if they named it after you."

"You're probably right. Man, that's confusing."

"Don't worry about it," answered Sasuke, kissing Sakura's forehead.

A preteen girl with a pink braid stuck her head out from behind the wall.

"Junko! Kazuhiro! Mom and Dad are making out!"

Cries of "Ew! Gross!" issued from upstairs.

"Kaoru! Finish your report and get to bed! And put your father's mask back on its shelf when you're finished. Kakashi won't be happy if that paper isn't done by tomorrow."

"Aw, Mom…" Kaoru's head disappeared back behind the wall.

"Kakashi never gave US homework…" mumbled Sasuke.

"Yeah well, it's his problem. Now, where were we?" said Sakura, pulling his head back down to hers.

As they kissed, four children hid behind the white plaster walls and watched. An almost-teenage girl with an elbow-length rosy braid and black eyes held up a toddler with a wisp of pink hair on top of his head. Below her, two raven-haired children with deep green irises pinched one another for a better view.

All four of them wore the Uchiha fan on their backs.

And thus, the establishment of a new generation, and the rebirth of that which was brought to the brink of extinction, had begun.

**THE END, 'TEBAYO! **

* * *

...AAAAAAND IT'S DONE!!

Who would've thought six months and 33 chapters ago it'd actually be FINISHED! I have overcome my laziness! This little thing I started in September of 2007 is finally done, and boy did I have fun writing it! Thanks to every single one of you who reviewed, favorited, or just read! You all are awesome people! Never let the ninja love die out! WOOT WOOT!

Now...go on to read someone else's (obsession) stories, and be as nice with them as you were with me. PEACE AND LOVE! Teh Pocky Ninja: OUT!


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